A future full of hope
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 I have been sitting on this post for a while. I tend to be very hesitant to talk about politics in any arena other than my immediate family and close circle of friends. The problem is, morality and spirituality are a lot more subjective than they…
Binding up wounds
He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 I have another blog prepared for this week, but it feels as though we are supposed to talk about wounds today . . . a weird place to start the new year, I realize. But, when I think of all the new year’s resolutions that we so commonly make–lose weight, be healthier, quit smoking, limit or quit drinking, spend less, pay off debt, get organized, repair relationships, go to church—I realize that all of these problems or excesses in our lives may not be the problem at all. Rather, they are a symptom of the problems in our hearts…
Past, present, and future . . . Part I
“Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead . . .” Chapter XV, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis One of the first things I want to do when I get to heaven–right after hunting my dear son down and loving him a whole lifetime’s worth–is going to be to get in line for a C.S. Lewis lecture. I sometimes fantasize about what it will be like to sit at his feet–maybe his good friend’s, J.R.R. Tolkien’s, too–and listen to them as they smoke pipes and drink beer and toss around theology like a beach ball. I have studied C.S. Lewis’…
Look for Jesus
“Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” Luke 24: 13-16 I wonder all the time about this passage. I think about the roads I have been on, when my entire vision of my future has been buried in the ground. The moments of shock quickly morph into the stark reality of what my life would now be, disastrously altered. For years after our…
Run to Jesus
“When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him . . .” John 11: 20 John 11 paints a familiar image. Jesus’ friend–Lazarus, whom He loves–becomes ill. His family loves Jesus. Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, each have personal relationships with Jesus. Martha knows exactly what to do when trouble comes: call Jesus! With confidence she sends out the dispatch. With confidence she soothes her brother and sister: “Jesus is coming, we have nothing to fear.” But He doesn’t come. Lazarus gets sicker and sicker. Mary and Martha tend to their brother, trying to remain calm . . . Where is Jesus? Why isn’t he coming?…
