10 Commandments and Hubris

I was in Ex 20 this morning.  Besides the fact that I have broken every one of the 10 in so many ways except the obvious ones people think of. I often put myself as a god before God.  I have used His name in vain.  Even when I remember the sabbath (most weeks in [...]

Vision and Orientation

“Look at what is before your eyes.“ 2 Corinthians 10:7a “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12: 1a-2b So, so often these days we hear about the importance of vision. Vision is important, but it does not matter [...]

The Lord is My Shepherd

The fourth Sunday in Easter is traditionally Good Shepherd Sunday, with readings from Psalm 23 and John 10 especially prominent. Today I found a brief essay that Kenneth E. Bailey wrote on Psalm 23. Dr. Bailey is a voice crying in the wilderness of Christian Middle East studies. “Dr. Bailey spent 40 years (1955-1995) living [...]

Just Imagine

When I was a boy, I was most impressed with the power of God. “Wow,” I used to think, “My God can just speak and worlds are created.” I was often times like a little boy thinking “My father can whup your father.” And it’s true. Our God is an “awesome God.” He did create [...]

The Slow Smokeless Burning of Decay: What Will We Leave On-line?

As a boy I used to explore the miles and miles of woods behind my house. I grew up in rural North Carolina where I could have walked to the nearest town, which was five miles away, had I been allowed, and barely stepped foot on a road. Out the back door, into the woods, [...]

Leftovers

Did you blink and miss summer? I did. Every year I promise myself I am going to recapture those magical golden days of summer when time used to slow down. Why, in a single day I used to fit in a dozen games of horseshoes, an hour or so of cloud watching, a romp in [...]

Do Good Always

“My Father is working until now, and I am working.” (John 5:17) As far as church seasons go, I think it’s safe to say most of us prefer any other to Lent. With all the introspection, repentance, and self-denial, we don’t often look upon Lent as a joy filled and uplifting season, but then, often [...]