Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.
We spend time with people we like. The more we like them, the more time we spend together. If we claim people as friends but don’t often see them, then they must not be too important. The same is true with God. If God is important to us, we’ll spend time with him: not out […]
Last week in “What are your priorities?” I wondered if God is a part of our lives. Does he have first place, given lessor attention, squeezed in, or an afterthought? Next is the contrast between our intention and our reality—which seldom match. A follow-up consideration is “How is he a part of our lives?” Again, […]
It’s a good idea to be aware of the priorities in our lives. We should periodically review what’s important to us and make sure our actions align with our intentions. For example, if I consider watching sports to be a waste of time but devote hours to its pursuit, then my actions don’t align with […]
We’ve Lost Christmas as a Spiritual Celebration. Let’s Not Lose Easter Too This spring some groups have banned Easter egg hunts—not the activity but the name. Concerned pundits decry this as political correctness gone awry or the timid majority kowtowing to the vocal minority. Although “spring egg hunt” sounds lame, this new label doesn’t dismay […]
At one time, my dad received his paycheck every other week, on the last day of the workweek. With a smile, he called each of these paydays good Friday. Dad enjoyed good Friday twenty-six times a year. Some years the real Good Friday fell on one of dad’s good Fridays; other times it did not—and […]
In Thursday’s post, Who Is a Christian Pharisee?, I talked about connecting—or reconnecting Christianity—with its Jewish roots—called Messianic Judaism. Although this thought may alarm some, there are ample justifications. Old Testament Judaism foreshadowed and gave birth to Christianity, Jesus was a Jew, and almost all of his early followers where Jewish. It’s only through a […]
“Are you a minister?” The first time someone asked me that question, I was shocked, appalled even. I shook my head and laughed, “Heck, no.” This confused my inquirer. “Humph, I thought you were.” Later someone else asked me the same thing, then another, and eventually a fourth. Now I’m no longer disturbed when someone […]
A year or so ago I made a bold statement to some close friends. As a group, we enjoy the freedom to ask pointed questions and the expectation to give honest answers; being transparent is our norm. Yet, I surprised myself by proclaiming, “I’m more in love with God today than ever before.” Yeah, it […]
Yesterday I posted in my Byline blog, “The Risk of Comparing Ourselves to Others.” Although my words focused on writers, the unwise practice of comparison is universal, applying to all people in all professions or pursuits. Succinctly, when we compare ourselves to other people, we either elevate ourselves by degrading them or lessen ourselves by […]
I had friends in high school who dreamed of excelling in sports, of being the star and even receiving a college scholarship. The problem with their aspirations was that they seldom practiced; a few never even bothered to try out. More recently I’ve listened to aspiring writers who dream of having the next great novel, […]