This famous altarpiece from Wittenberg shows us how to live, breath, preach, and teach. The main thing is to keep Christ in the center. The Holy Spirit moves everyone: male and female, young and old. Jesus is the word of God embodied, real and active in our lives. When we keep Christ in the center our faith starts flowing. When Jesus is in the center, our life is balanced and blessed. All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him…
Are you frustrated, anxious, angry? It’s time to spend some time with Jesus! I’ve come to experience this time after time. Whenever I find myself off-kilter, I realize I’ve not spend enough time in prayer and scripture reading. Maybe this is what had happened to Martha, too?
The Bible is very clear that we are all called to be holy like God is holy. It does not happen without effort but by God’s grace it is possible. To be holy is to be transformed into the image of Christ. What bothers me is the fact that people think that holy people are boring, repressed, stiff-necked,and self-righteous. But Jesus was not at all that kind of person! What’s gone wrong here? We are called to be like Jesus,…
Have you met some extra radiant people who just glow and shine God’s love and grace? Have you wondered and marveled the way Moses glowed when he came down from Mount Sinai after spending 40 days and 40 nights with God? When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn’t know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw…
Sometimes we think that our life is so small or simple that it is not significant. Maybe not if seen through the eyes of the world. But God thinks you are a Very Important Person. God created you, gave his only Son to die for you and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ made it possible for you to be made right with him. God waits to hear from you and rejoices when you bring your joys, sorrows, concerns, dreams…
Our family attended a medieval festival this past weekend. We enjoyed an afternoon of family fun: tasted some medieval food, admired the gorgeous costumes and mostly had good time. What shocked my equilibrium was an over-heard conversation. There was an older couple talking with an acquaintance. The man used harsh words to describe a person they all knew and pretty much denigrated that person. I was appalled. Then the acquaintance left. And guess what the man did? He gave another…
Sometimes we are so stuck in the mud that we can’t even believe any more that life could be any different. Beware! That’s one of the favorite messages of our enemy. The devil wants us to believe that change is not possible, that God would not take us as we are, that everything is lost. But everything is not lost! God welcomes us just as we are! And change is possible! Not on our own. But in Christ Jesus! So…
