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!…
I’m returning to blogging after a short break. I’m unsure what is causing the brain fog – the vacation or the autoimmune flare-up, but complete thoughts have been challenging for a few weeks. It is time now to finish what I started in James! [God] gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the…
Many Christian denominations, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians, among others, celebrate Ash Wednesday. It is a significant day in the Christian calendar for these reasons — Customs The traditions and customs associated with Ash Wednesday may vary between Christian denominations and cultures. In some churches, ashes are applied to the forehead in the shape of…
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. … the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy…
In Romans 12:9-21, one small phrase is repeated three times. That phrase is “one another.” That phrase is significant because it is used about 100 times in the New Testament, many of those in Paul’s writings. Interestingly, the “one another” statements almost always fall into three categories. Let’s look at these three commands in Romans…
Recently I discovered a thoughtful podcast called Friends in Formation. It is sponsored by Renovare, an international nonprofit dedicated to helping people become more like Jesus. Each month, the three presenters entertain three questions submitted to the podcast to enable us all to walk more closely with God. One question resonated with me this past…