Language matters. That’s why if I hear that word “volunteer” one more time in a church setting, I’m going to officially nominate the word for the “Annoying Word of the Year” award. The church is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing Christ to life, not through...
If religious patriarchy was true, the angel of the Lord would have spoken first to Manoah about the miraculous conception of Samson. Instead, he spoke to Manoah’s wife—a woman—alone (Judges 13:2-24). If religious patriarchy was true, the angel Gabriel would have...
All four gospels witness to Mary Magdalene as the premier witness to the resurrection - alone or in a group, but in all cases named by name. . . All four gospels insist that when the other disciples are fleeing, Mary Magdalene stands firm. She does not run, she does...
The followers of Christ have been called to peace ... And they must not only have peace but make it. And to that end they renounce all violence and tumult. In the cause of Christ nothing is to be gained by such methods ... His disciples keep the peace by choosing to...
Jesus fed 5000 but only 500 followed him after lunch. He had 12 disciples but only 3 went further in the Garden, and only 1 stood with him at the Cross. The closer you get to the Cross, the smaller the crowd gets.
We Christians paint such a fragile picture of Jesus when we act as though his will is somehow threatened by every political and cultural shift. We Christians paint such a codependent picture of Jesus when we act as though he needs a political party, a president, and a...
Part of the greatest commandment Christ gave to his disciples is to "love your neighbor." Not control your neighbor.Not mock your neighbor.Not shame your neighbor.Not dehumanize your neighbor.Not defeat your neighbor. Love your neighbor.
Hey, if you aren’t much into religion, you may not know how to recognize followers of Jesus. If you are interested and have a curious mind, I can tell you that Jesus himself gave a direct, simple way to spot them. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples...
To follow Jesus, his disciples deny themselves as part of self-mortification--not cultural assimilation. They pick up a cross--not a flag.
I’m mindful that for many of us, we have heard a lot of “no’s” in our lifetimes. Especially from people who think they are speaking for or defending God. Whether implicitly or explicitly, we’ve heard things like:"No, you’re not supposed to be asking questions like...