Do you ever think of God as fun? With all the hurt and bad things in this world, do you feel guilty for having fun? Sometimes, I wonder if God would like to tell us all to just lighten up a bit.
Predictability, decisiveness, and knowing exactly where you are going; these are attractive qualities in anyone’s life. Yet, these are not the things that changed the world.
It was recently a shock to some of our systems when we learned there is not really a donkey in the Christmas story as told per scripture.
In the angel’s proclamation of the birth of Jesus, we hear the phrase, “ALL PEOPLE.” The angels spoke to the most unexpecting group of shepherds and told them a message that was to “bring great joy to ALL PEOPLE.” Yet still we sometimes wonder, “Even them?”
Without fully understanding the bigger picture, it is easy to ask the question, “Why me?”
Our journey to the manger begins with a rather unexpected twist on an otherwise normal night.
I don’t know about you, but when my children ask me multiple questions at the same time, I immediately want them to wait a moment.
God is doing something new. “As you were” is not an option; “better than you were” is a promise.
How many of us are thwarted from achieving our goals, because we can’t see the other side clearly?
As we breathe out God into the circumstances and people of our lives, we are becoming co-creators with God and giving life to the world around us.
Have you ever tried holding your breath for so long that when you finally let it out, it doesn’t just gracefully wheeze out, but it sputters and forces its way out of your mouth?
Breathing in God sets us up for success in so many areas of our lives. We tend to be calmer people who seek peace with others. We tend to make healthier choices physically and with what we choose to eat. We tend to prioritize our wellbeing over instant gratification and smart investments over big ticket items. Breathing in God helps us to find life.
Thankfully, there are safety measures put into place to help minimize the risk to breathing in things that are not good for us. In the same way, there are steps we can take in order to minimize the danger posed not just to our lungs but to our heads, our hearts, and our very souls.
A certain group of people are being held to a standard that not all groups of people are being held to. There seems to be some permission given to withhold people from living into who they have been created to be.
Seriously, if you heard a voice call to you from the heavens and tell you to sacrifice your child on an altar, what would you do?
The Bible clearly upholds the structure of master and slave, so how is that scripture meant to speak to us today?
After losing her campaign to become the first woman president, Hillary Clinton said, “To all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”
As we take a look back at the law and the prophets through the lens of Jesus, it is important to understand how Jesus relates to them.
If anger and name calling were sins that led straight to hell, we would all be doomed.
Jesus told everyone, “Blessed are the peace makers.” Does this not include himself?