We’ve gotten spiritually soft

July 27, 2016

Even as Christians are raped, tortured, beheaded, and crucified for their faith in the Mideast and portions of Africa; even as Christians are driven from their homes in many parts of the world; and even as state power bullies Christians at home and abroad to keep their faith private, Christians in Europe, the U.S., and Canada don’t fully recognize the horror.

Why?

I’d like to say that I do, but I don’t. I/we Western Christians expect the state to protect us. We’ve enjoyed an unusual period in history where religious liberty was prized as a fundamental right. We forged nations grounded in Judeo-Christian values and think this is the way it is everywhere.

But now we’ve gotten soft. And we’re paying the price…

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What does your life look like?

July 17, 2016

Are you building a legacy that you’ll be proud of?

Suppose you stacked up the days of your life. Every act of love is a metaphorical brick. Over a lifetime, these bricks grow and take shape, forming a cathedral.

By the same token, every act of selfishness is the equivalent of taking a chisel to the edifice of your cathedral.

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Addicted to sin

July 15, 2016

“It’s all good.”

This is one of those phrases I hear these days.

Or … “I’m okay, you’re okay.”

Or … “It’ll all work out in the end.”

At their essence, these catch phrases suggest that sin isn’t that big a deal.

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Jesus has to be the most insensitive man who ever lived

June 25, 2016

This reading makes it clear that Jesus is en route to Jerusalem. He’s going to be hanging on a cross within a week.

Keep in mind, Jesus and His entourage have just passed near Samaria, which is only some thirty miles from Jerusalem. That means they could be in Jerusalem as soon as ten to fifteen hours on foot.

So when a man says “Lord, let me go first and bury my father”, Jesus knows the guy is going to miss out in witnessing the divine.

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