Scripture: Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of God’s kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Thought for the Day: Is God kind, tolerant and patient because it is the path to repentance -or- is God kind, tolerant and patient because that is who God is? I tend to think it is the latter,
Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. Thought for the Day: Many of us are good at recognizing the problems in someone else’s life and knowing what the solutions are to those problems. As I often say, “I can live other people’s lives much better than I can live my
Scripture: John 8:2-5 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” Thought for the Day: What do you say? I think most
Scripture: 1st Corinthians 8:1-7 Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him. Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and
Scripture: Luke 10:27 Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Thought for the Day: In much of Western thinking, reality has been strictly divided – a dualism between: Holy and Profane, Sacred and Secular, Spiritual and Physical, Heaven and Earth. This type
Scripture: 2nd Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you. Thought for the Day: I sat in a room recently and heard many in the circle lament about how our world was crumbling. They spoke with deep anguish about all the violence, some even suggesting it as a sign that the
Scripture: Romans 15:7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Thought for the Day: I am reading Anne Lamott’s book, Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace. I have always appreciated Lamott’s often challenging words, and early in the book, a simple phrase got me to thinking. Lamatt wrote, “It turns out that welcome is solidarity. We’re glad you’re here,
Scripture: Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Thought for the Day: My friend and colleague, Rev. Bob Hill, reminded me of these words from the great William Sloane Coffin: “… unless we become meek, there will be no one left to inherit the earth…” In the Greek, the word for meek is Praus, and it’s fascinating how this Greek word is related
Scripture: Proverbs 13:22 The good leave an inheritance to their children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. Thought for the Day: A visionary corporation is probably looking at most 8 – 10 years down the road. They may talk vaguely of 20 or 25, but they have to meet the expectation of their investors next quarter. For that reason, they are often willing
Scripture: Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. Thought for the Day: As you prepare for worship on this Sabbath day, allow these words from the Psalms to guide your spirit. Be glad and rejoice; allow your voice to declare the joy felt in your heart; continue to find ways of standing firm in the