The apostle Paul compares our life in Christ to a footrace. Like any race this is one that only the diligent will win. Go back to your childhood story time here. Born with every advantage, Aesop’s hare loses to the…
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Making grace stick
Sometimes we face problems in life that really rub us wrong, abrasive and hurtful experiences that we would never characterize as good. Like everyone, I have come through many of these episodes; in hindsight some of them even make sense….
Divorcing Jesus from religion
Like all divorces this one is going to be messy. You’re the judge, so try sorting this out: The complainant files papers saying she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. There’s neglect and even some abuse. The complainant wants full custody…
The consolation of the cross
Orthodox Christians this week mark the Sunday of the Holy Cross. At the midpoint of Lent, the church makes a special point of placing the cross before us to console and embolden believers en route to Pascha, or Easter. Through…
Why Christians need the church
There’s an old story about several blind men who try describing an elephant after touching various parts of it. Because the elephant is quite large, each man can only touch a limited portion. So the man touching the leg says…
Hippies, monks, and Lent
Here we are in the middle of Lent and I’m stuck on hippies. I’ve always been fascinated by the 1960s. These were wild and momentous years, populated by colorful and absurd characters whose impact far outstripped their usefulness. But drop…
The changeless love of God
Our experience of God often changes, doesn’t it? Sometimes he seems angry, other times loving; sometimes comforting, other times convicting; sometimes close, other times aloof. It varies, which is tricky because Scripture tells us that God doesn’t change. So maybe…
We’ll take anything but the truth
Whether you’re talking politics, health, business, entertainment, or religion, it’s funny that a culture as skeptical as ours can be so fundamentally gullible. We can fall for nearly anything — anything but the truth. “In a materialist age like ours,”…
Fighting Downton Abbey passions
At the dawn of the surprise-hit series Downton Abbey Mary Crawley has a momentary and tragic fling with a guest staying at her family’s estate. Opportunity presents in the form of the dashing Turkish envoy, Kemal Pamuk. Lust prevails, and…
Angels in the architecture
Paul Simon’s song “You Can Call Me Al” speaks of a man who sees “angels in the architecture.” The man’s vision is notable and different. He’s “a foreign man,” as the lyric goes, meaning that normal folk like you and…
