In reviewing James, I want to look at the book differently in this last post. First, we must remember that the message of James is not about our striving to do better, checking off the boxes of righteous living. Instead, James describes Kingdom Living, lives surrendered to God, and living in community. Notice the plurals!…
Introduction There have been times when I longed to be a “lone ranger” Christian. I tend to be shy, something of a wallflower in groups of people, often feeling awkward and out of place. Introversion defines me. I am energized by spending time on my own and having my best conversations with myself. I am…
In the summer series at church, our pastor (and staff) has been unpacking the meaning of God’s kingdom. The working definition has been from Jeremy Treat’s book, Seek First: How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything, and it says, “The kingdom is God’s reign through God’s people over God’s place.” We have spent most of the…
What is involved in spiritual development? How does it happen? One word that keeps popping up in my reading, sermons, and in conversations is the importance of community. We were designed to do life together. Our pastor reminded us recently that the first question asked to God was from Cain. Cain countered God’s question, “Where…
I am reminiscing today. A friend asked about our day yesterday. Easter Sunday this year was different – still severely affected by the pandemic. We did enjoy church immensely. We worshipped in a full sanctuary – a first – well, in many months! We are vaccinated and the congregation was masked. It was heartwarming, heart-stirring…