Tag: Love
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Courting Scandal
Some Sundays ago, I preached a message to the congregation I serve that I intended to be hopeful. In it, I talked about the “scandal of change”. My main point was that scandal is part and parcel of any change endeavor. The text that I was preaching from was the Annunciation from Luke 1 where…
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Our Word’s Matter
A number of year’s ago, I had a book proposal rejected by a publisher. The book was based on the opening verses of Hebrews 11. 11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so…
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What More Can We Give?
Almost every morning I wake up and look out my bedroom window and start talking to God. I don’t have a standard thing I say. If someone were to hear my thoughts, they might think that some of what I say sounds like a standard prayer. Sometimes parts of Bible verses pop into my head…
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DMX and the Ballad of the Brokenhearted
Have you ever looked into the eyes of someone who has been truly brokenhearted? Perhaps you have and they were your very own eyes? If you have, then you’ll likely agree with me that despite what romantic entertainment will have you believe, there are relatively few people who have been completely brokenhearted. To give you…
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The Compassionate Fool
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I am a fool. And I would be equally lying if I said that I want to be any other way. In fact, when I find myself feeling like I am wise, I feel like a failure. “How can I be so ignorant to think I am…
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All I Owe You is Everything
Love for One Another (Romans 13) 8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your…
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Trading My Religion for a Cross and a Commandment
A couple of days ago I responded to an online discussion question that compared religiosity and righteousness. Honestly, I rarely comment on these kinds of questions because I don’t have much interest in having someone call me a socialist or something just because of how I interpret certain teachings from scripture about what it means…
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Withholding Kindness Causes Harm
On the other side of all of the limitations that we accept for ourselves and project onto others is an awareness that each and everyone of us has the potential to be a greater contribution to the world than we might know. Conditioned by the illusion that there are some of us who are worthy…
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Death, Where is Your Sting?
Imagine a world without the fear of death. What would it look like? How would you live differently? How would certainty that who you are endures forever change the way you live your day to day life? What technologies could we create if our imaginations stretched into eternity? This is something that I am currently…
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National Love Your Enemies Day
This year I am dedicating my birthday to all the people who through negative feedback and evil misguided intentions have helped shape me into the person that I am today. Typically we only thank the people who openly support us. The way I see it, I wouldn’t be me if it were not also for…
