Fellowship
The word ‘fellowship’ is defined as meaning ‘a friendly association, especially with people who share one’s interests.’ It makes sense, especially when aligning with those who share your religious beliefs, political beliefs and perhaps come from similar backgrounds as you and yours. It gets tricky though, when those with whom you sought fellowship in the past now present a different perspective regarding their beliefs and ideals.
Continue ReadingTake Heart
“If I truly am content in God, why am I hurting so much right now? If I truly love God more than I love convenient circumstances, why are these current circumstances breaking me down so much? Maybe the growth I thought I experienced this summer was really just feeling close to God because my life was easier and more restful than it normally is.”
Continue ReadingSeeing Signs
It’s late August and the corn fields are growing tall here in our corner of southeastern Pennsylvania. They remind me of a favorite movie, Signs, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I love the suspense, cinematography, soundtrack, and the way it was filmed in locations surrounding Philadelphia, like many of his other movies. If you’re from the area, you probably know that filming took place very close to home in Bucks County. But my favorite thing about the movie is the central conflict which explores how we explain life, death, our purpose and meaning.
Continue ReadingWhy Me, Lord?
I have friends who work with the JESUS film. If you don’t know about it, in 1979 the film was made based on the Gospel of Luke. Since that time, the film has been translated into 2,227 languages and been shown all over the world, in remote villages and big cities. Through this ministry, over 22 million people have made decisions to follow Jesus.
Continue ReadingNavigating Doubt
Doubt is often treated like a dirty secret in the Christian life—something to be ashamed of, a sign of weak faith. But the truth is that doubt is part of the journey for every believer. Even the heroes of the faith wrestled with questions. Doubt is not the enemy of faith—it’s an opportunity to deepen it.
Continue ReadingFact Checked
I was in conversation with a friend who was telling me about some Victorian queen and her reign: how she overthrew the king and took the country for herself. I asked how they knew all this to which the reply was “I read it in a book; I have a lot of books on this topic.”…The same person who told me they read all these historical facts in this book about a queen, said “You can’t believe everything you read; the Bible is just a book and Jesus is just a made-up character.”
Continue ReadingOff with the Old, on with the New
The seasons are changing here where I live in Queensland, and so is my wardrobe. The days for cool summer tops, shorts and sundresses are over. I am pulling my winter clothes out of storage. How quickly I forget the clothes I own when I pack them away for a season. I always pull out clothes I completely forgot that I have. But, as much as I used to love these pieces, not all of them make it back to the closet for another season.
Continue ReadingHow Many Paraprofessionals Does It Take…
If there is one thing I despise more than training day at work, it’s virtual training day at work. My brain processes “being talked at” as life-draining, and “sitting still” as torture; so, combine that with a Disney-esque cadence and you will find me searching for mini-toothpicks to hold my eyes open.
Continue Reading“What is that to you?”
Often when I read the Bible, I come across a familiar passage. It might be that I’ve heard a sermon on it, or that it’s recorded in another place in the Bible where I’ve read it previously. I was reading through the Gospel of John during Lent. When I came to John’s final chapter, I read some verses that startled me, because they took me back to my childhood…
Continue ReadingOn Clichés and Suffering
Our culture seems to run on tropes, mottos and trite bromides. Cute household signs are one thing, but empty platitudes that fail the common-sense test are another. Many popular slogans offer nonsensical advice such as, “you can be anything you want to be” (anything?), “follow your bliss” (what if that’s heroin?), and “manifest it into existence” (try manifesting someone back from the dead). Here’s another: “God will never give me more than I can handle.” But…is that true?
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