Scripture: Ephesians 4:25 So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Thought for the Day: It is time! It is time for the church to speak up! It is time for the church to name names (well I’ll be cautious there prior to talking to my attorney)! I just finished watching five minutes of
Scripture: Proverbs 15:17 Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it. Thought for the Day: There are times when the words of Mother Teresa sum things up pretty well. She said, “In the West we have a tendency to be profit-oriented, where everything is measured according to the results and we get caught up in being more and more
Scripture: 2nd Chronicles 6:40 Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to prayer from this place. Thought for the Day: This was part of a passionate prayer Solomon shared on behalf of his people. As I read these words, I was reminded of Barton W. Stone, one of the founders of our denomination. Stone wrote years ago, “Let us therefore come boldly
Scripture: Psalm 9:18-19 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you. Thought for the Day: I am a fan of the movie Kingdom of Heaven (staring Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson), and I was watching it again last night. One of the characters referred
Scripture: Jonah 3:3-4 So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Thought for the Day: Bill Moyer wrote, “Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the
Scripture: Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Thought for the Day: The French author, Pierre Coneille, once wrote, “Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of others, but from doing something worthwhile.” The above words of scripture are shared as Paul and Barnabas are struggling to remain faithful over against many who would like to
As I continue on with Brian McLaren’s book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?, I find myself struggling with the tension Brian names. I describe the tension found in our choice between ‘hostility toward other faiths’ or ‘hollowing out our own’. For far too long, we have assumed those were our only two options, and frankly, if I must choose, I will always
Scripture: Matthew 12:34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Thought for the Day: I have been enjoying Brian McLaren’s new book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, The Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? He begins chapter 5 with a quote from Blaise Pascal, the 17th century mathematician. Pascal wrote,
Scripture: Hebrew 13:6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” Thought for the Day: It is interesting how an early Christian asked the question, “What can any person do to me?” What could happen to a 1st century Christian whose way of life stood in opposition to the ways of the world? The
Scripture: Jonah 3:1-2 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” Thought for the Day: In his book, The Sacred Way, Tony Jones writes about those who have a sense of God. He says, “We have this nagging feeling that God is following us around, nudging