In Robert Banks’s groundbreaking book, Redeeming the Routines, he identifies the enormous gap between belief and everyday life. He points out that this gap shows up in ten worrying ways: Few of us apply or know how to apply our belief to our work, or lack of work. We only make minimal connections between our…
Month: May 2018
Hungry to hear His Voice!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Jeremiah 14-15 “When your words came, I ate them.” (Jeremiah 15:16) In this book, sometimes God speaks to Israel, and sometimes to Jeremiah. In this verse Jeremiah is complaining to God about his own struggle. He recalls how he responded when God first called him: he ate His words up. This expression describes…
God’s plan for our happiness!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Jeremiah 11-13 “Obey me… and you will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Jeremiah 11:4) In some ways, God sounds like a bully: obey me or else! But context matters, and the context here is a corrupt, messed up world. Slavery, violence, injustice, perversion, murder… these were normal and common….
Punctuation matters
This is beyond me!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 20:27-40 “Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question.” (Luke 20:36) Death is such a ‘normal’ part of life for us, we cannot imagine no death. We know and are learning many things about this life. But the life that follows the final resurrection is beyond our…
The best citizens of all!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 20:20-26 “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Luke 20:25) Jesus did not advance the kingdom of God by advocating rebellion or revolution. Caesars were unrighteous leaders, but they were God-appointed. (Romans 13:1-2) Our focus should not be to displace governments, but to demonstrate goodness. We need…
What kind of tenant am I?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 20:9-19 “So they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.” (Luke 20:10) Jesus uses this parable to describe how God set up the kingdom of this world. God is the creator, and the owner, and we are the entrusted tenants or stewards. God wants to share the blessings with…