Posts tagged “Grace”
How does your garden grow?
When we lived in Minnesota, we had a huge garden—I’m talking 40 feet of asparagus, 20 pepper plants in pots, rhubarb, raspberries, strawberries, a…
Guilt by association
Have you ever felt like you should distance yourself from certain people to make it clear that you do not associate yourself with their…
The names of God: Redeemer
During the American Civil War, President Lincoln and the U.S. Congress had a desperate need for military manpower, so they instituted a military draft…
Jesus’ forgiving grace
I once heard of a pastor who had the best/most unsuccessful counseling idea. When couples brought their conflicts into his office, he would say…
Do you tremble at the words of God?
Every Holy Week, amid the sad and somber stories of the crucifixion of Christ, our congregation sings the old spiritual “Were You There?” Do…
A shout-out to “unslothy” women
The closest my wife gets to sloth is holding one. On a recent vacation, our family visited a sloth habitat in Honduras where my…
Towel animals (aka, Jesus serves)
You know the service is good when housekeeping turns your bathroom towel into a sloth. My extended family took a cruise recently and were…
Stop saying, “It’s okay,” because it’s not okay
About 13 years ago, when I was interning at a church, my boss/pastor said that we would not just preach about forgiveness; we would…
You can learn to be content
Literature is full of stories that offer explanations of why things happen. Shakespeare presented Romeo and Juliet as star-crossed lovers, i.e., their deaths were…
Who, me? Grudges?
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). How I love the…
Teaching kids to live generously
Here’s the scene: Mall atrium. Mall Santa sitting on a puffy red chair surrounded by world-worn, shady-looking elves. Long line of squirmy kids accompanied…
Twin hounds
Who’s hounding you lately? Is your boss bugging you for that report? Is your mom following you around with an armload of dirty laundry?…