Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

Joshua 24:14-18 I Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23 We probably make thousands of decisions everyday:  when to get up in the morning, what to have for lunch, which way to turn at a particular intersection.  Some are so minor that they seem to be inconsequential, although every decision does affect our lives in some way.  Other decisions are so major that they impact our very futures. In Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, the wolf pack gathers to choose which cubs will be allowed to join the Seeonee Pack.  Their leader, Akela, the gray, lone wolf, lays across the high rock over looking a clearing in the jungle and admonishes them, “Look well, O wolves.”  Look well; choose well, because their choices will determine the future of the Pack.   Along with the other cubs, Mowgli, the toddler rescued and raised by a pair of wolves, is pushed into the circle of moonlight for review.   Shere Khan, a force of evil and destruction, claims the boy...

1 Corinthians 3: 1-9 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 For each Olympic event, there are only three medals awarded, and still thousands of Olympian athletes train for years and years, making personal sacrifices just to compete in the games.  Along the way, anything could happen.  Illness or injury could end their career or despite everything they put into it, there still could be someone a few seconds faster, a bit stronger or more talented that robs them of a win.  Yet, they all work hard because they are going for the gold.  They train to win. Paul knew that the Christians in the Corinth church weren’t mature Christians.  There was plenty of evidence to support his claim: infighting, jealousy among them, and many continued to live according to the standards of their culture. Maybe their lack of spiritual growth was because they weren’t ready to let go of their dependence on what they knew.  They knew how to make sense of the world and how to live...

Psalm 84:2-4 Matthew 10:28-31 Luke 12:6-7 The sun is shining.  The sky is winter blue, and the temperatures are below zero.  With the cold and the nose-hair freezing wind chills, it's a great day to stay inside and watch birds. I have ornamental, flowering fruit trees in the back yard, and the robins along with the cedar waxwings have come out from the woods to feast on the fruit still clinging to the branches.  The occasional blue jay and cardinal stop by to peck at the remains of this weekend's communion bread.  The front yard, however, is being dominated by the English house sparrows. English house sparrows are one of the most common bird species in the world.  No wonder Matthew priced them out at five for a penny (copper coin).  It's little wonder considering how aggressive these little birds can be. Male house sparrows are sometimes called "bulls" because they are the first to move in and claim nesting areas from other birds, chasing them a...

James1:2-6 I Corinthians 2:6-16 My husband gave me this really nice pair of ear phones.  They’re padded, so they’re really comfortable to wear.  They’re balanced just right.  To make sure I put them on correctly and get the best listening experience possible, the sides are marked “right” and “left.” As far as ear phones go, I think they’re pretty cool looking, but there’s just this teeny, tiny problem.  They don’t work!  I put them on, and I don’t hear any music.  Not a single note.  I just don’t understand … What was that?  You asked me if they’re plugged in?  They’re suppose to be plugged into an mp3 player or a laptop or tablet? Oh, that’s the problem.  I’m not plugged into a source of music. So what did this have to do with the Christians in Corinth ? At the time of the writing of 1 Corinthians, the church in Corinth was only five years old.  It had its share of growing pains and struggles.  It...

I Corinthians 1:18-31 Isaiah 44:24-28 The message of the cross: "For God so loved the world, that God offered up God’s one of a kind Son as a sacrifice for our sins, so that whoever clings to, trusts in and relies on him shall not come to destruction and be lost, but have everlasting life.  For God did not send God’s Son into the world to pass sentence on the world but that the world may be saved, reconciled and made whole through the Son." (Based on John 3:16-17) My husband and I are big fans of spaghetti westerns, especially those staring Clint Eastwood.  That's why I love the animated feature, "Rango," because it pays homage to the Man with No Name and the westerns we love.  It even has the stock characters -- a gila monster with an Australian accent wearing a derby hat and smoking a stubby cigar.  Rattle Snake Jake is a tip of the hat to Lee Van Cleef, complete with a skinny mustache. Rango, the title character, is a chameleon who finds h...