Brian McLaren has offered us another intriguing book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, The Buddha and Mohammed Cross the Road? I doubt he’d claim the following quote as his thesis, but the thought reveals a fundamental struggle and hope among many. McLaren says, “…try to imagine the scene: four of history’s greatest religious leaders…not fighting, not arguing, not damning and condemning one another, not launching crusades or jihads, but
Scripture: Luke 6:20-22 Looking at his disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of
Scripture: Job 13:6 Hear now my reasoning, and listen to the pleadings of my lips. Thought for the Day: There are only a few things more painful than not being understood. Despite one’s best effort, her/his words fall on ears incapable or unwilling to listen. Job knew that experience a little too well. His three friends (we must always use that term rather loosely as they did not
Scripture: Jonah 2:1-2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.” Thought for the Day: It was Mahatma Gandhi who said, “Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily
Scripture: 2nd Peter 1:2 May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Thought for the Day: It might just be me, but occasionally I’ll come across a passage of scripture that grabs my attention. I’ll read and reread it, and though I like what I’m reading, I’m not too sure why I’m drawing to it. Finally, I walk
Scripture: 1st John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. Thought for the Day: The words of the Catholic prophet, Dorothy Day, remain relevant for our time. She said, “Whenever I groan within myself and think how hard it is to keep writing about love in these times of tension and strife which may, at any moment, become for us all a time of terror, I think
Scripture: Job 21:3 Bear with me, and I will speak; then after I have spoken, mock on. Thought for the Day: In the Acknowledgements of his book, The Last Word and the Word After That, Brian McLaren says, “To my critics, thanks for the times you offer your feedback with kindness, because you help me learn things I wouldn’t learn without you. And thanks for the times you
Scripture: Jonah 1:15 So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. Thought for the Day: When the squalls of life descend upon us, wouldn’t it be nice if tossing someone into the chaos would appease the god of bedlam and mayhem. There have been a few times in life when I would have flung a sacrificial entity into
Scripture: John 4:19-21 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” Thought for the Day: Jesus points to a day
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:4 …a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; Thought for the Day: Many people think of September 11th as a day of mourning and quiet reflection, yet what happens when September 11 is also the birthday of the one you call your spouse. In my household, tomorrow is a day of celebration. It is the