Author: Norm

The more I read the Jesus stories, the more perplexed I get. Not about Jesus per se, but about what I hear from others about Jesus. The Catholic Jesus, the Calvinist Jesus, the Baptist Jesus? The pacifist Jesus, the anarchist Jesus, the sweet little baby Jesus? The white Jesus, the Jewish Jesus, the black Jesus,…

As Jesus followers, we do not to pressure people to believe.We are to freely love, bless and serve all people wherever we go.We offer this generous love in Jesus’s Name.We are demonstrating what life in Jesus’s kingdom is like.The characteristics of the kingdom are healing, help, kindness, hope.Everyone is welcome to receive it, but no…

An unclean woman and a dead girl.Both were to be avoided according to the religious rules.But if the unclean and unholy cannot be touched, how can they be helped?If sinners are to be avoided, how will sinners be saved?The bible seems to teach both gracing sinners and avoiding sinners.This tension between holiness and unholiness is…

What stands out to me today is how this man could not stop talking about Jesus.Jesus tells him to spread the word about what God had done for him.Instead the man tells everyone about what Jesus had done for him.While I cannot relate to his specific case, I do relate to this part of his…

This is the most important question for us to ask.Put aside your Sunday School and Catechism answers for now.Get into the boat in the storm, and experience this moment with Jesus.Feel to fear and the amazement you would feel if you were there.My fear is that we have become to familiar with Jesus.And not in…

In this scene Jesus once again stresses what good listening is.Good listening involves both hearing and doing what God asks.This is key to living in harmony and fellowship with God. I was raised to think of the Bible as God’s word to us.This is both accurate and misleading.Yes God’s word to people is recorded in…

Jesus has just talked about good listening.He used the analogy of soil (our hearts) receiving the seed (His message).Good and noble hearts hear the message and produce a crop.Now the analogy changes, but the meaning is the same.The good crop is also like light that is visible for all to see.It is goodness magnified, shining…

This is a very familiar story to most Christians.Its meaning seems obvious to me, not hard to understand.But I have the advantage of having heard it explained many times.So many times in fact, it does not grab my attention.In a sense I don’t hear it anymore. The disciples had the advantage of being with Jesus…

If you asked these women why they supported Jesus, what would they say?Luke explains it was because Jesus had healed them.They personally experienced the powerful, life-changing kindness of Jesus.He did not treat them as inferior or weak women, second class citizens.Did he ask their fathers or husbands for permission to receive their wealth?We don’t know,…

A person’s gratitude will match the size of the gift given.If I am given $1 dollar, my gratitude will be small.If I am given $1 million dollars, my gratitude will be huge.The gratitude will also match the value of the gift for the recipient.If the recipient values the gift, they will be very grateful.If I…