James writes, “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” (James 3:2) Jesus says, “… for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45) I have been pondering these passages of Scripture in light […]

I have often wondered how the church, which was founded on amazing grace, became a place of judgment for people struggling with sin. Which is really all of us, if you think about it.  Here is a thought: I think the church moves toward judgment of those outside our walls because it is much easier […]

I was reading through some old notes last night and came across this little snippet of wisdom from Dallas Willard, “To drift in this society is very dangerous.” It reminded me why the ancients used to create and then adhere to a “rule of life,” which was a term used to describe specific practices, or […]

We are a competitive culture, aren’t we? We work really hard. We strive. We are creatures of the Protestant work ethic – and most of the outflow is good; we give our best to God, we aim for excellence, we want to be all we can be. You know the drill … But, when this […]

I have been noticing lately that the pace around our church is ... well, picking up! Last night, after a full day's work, I arrived home out of breath, a bit frantic, wound up, anxious to get to the next day so I could plow my way through my to-do list in the hopes of […]

In the Old Testament, a trio of people are often cited as deserving special protections from God and God’s people … The fatherless, the widow, the orphan. Often, the foreigner is added to this list. God knew these people were at risk in the society of the Old Testament … at risk to be marginalized, […]