Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

  Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;      he came and set his people free. He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives,      and in the very house of David his servant, Just as he promised long ago      through the preaching of his holy prophets: Deliverance from our enemies      and every hateful hand; Mercy to our fathers,      as he remembers to do what he said he’d do, What he swore to our father Abraham—      a clean rescue from the enemy camp, So we can worship him without a care in the world,      made holy before him as long as we live. And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,”      will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, Present the offer of salvation to his people,    ...

Matthew 5:14-16, 43-48 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 Years ago, Tom and I camped at Lake Superior Provincial Park in Ontario.  At the entrance of a trail we were planning to hike, was the sign, "Please be prepared for a very steep climb."  Believe me, it was a very  steep climb, a very challenging trail and far from easy.   We are living in a world when we, as Christians, are confronted with events which challenge us and what we believe.  These are dark times when the easy road is so tempting to take, but is it the road Christ asks us to take? A young man once asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"  No one asked Jesus who their enemy was.  We can figure that out on our own.  The enemy are those who inspire hate and turn people against one another, who use personal attacks and scare tactics, and in the extreme as we saw in the bombing in Parish and the mass killing in San Bernadino. Our human response to such atrocities is fear, hatred, and...

This is the fifth and last in the series on "Wholeness in Christ" ... I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly ..."  John 10:7-10 " ... Run in such a way that you may win it [the race].  Atheletes ... do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.."   I Corinthians 9:24-27 What kind of shape would we be in if we only ate and slept once or twice a week?  Or twice a year, we exercised?  We know that physical health requires consistent, healthy habits of adequate rest, good nutritional habits and a daily discipline of physical activity.  Why aren't we investing the same amount of effort in caring for our souls?   Spiritual self-care is important to the health of  our whole being -- mind, body and soul. I have a lot of respect for long-distance atheletes, like the guys who ride the Tour de France, cross country runners, and folks who participate in the Iron Man and marathon events.  Mainly, it's be...

Your word is a lamp before my feet       and a light for my journey.                                   Psalm 119:105 CEB) WWJD -- What would Jesus do? WWJHMD -- What would Jesus have me do? Whichever one is your favorite, neither one does us any good if we don't know what Jesus did or taught.  How can we incorporate the story of God's Word into our lives if we haven't studied it? Oh, a few main ideas here and there, a piece of memorized scripture, an inspirational poster or coffee mug may be somewhat helpful, but having knowledge and understanding of scripture is more important. There reason is that stories give us metaphors to guide us and help us make decisions.  To use them as metaphors rather than just taking them literally requires understanding the context of the story because we aren't the original audience.  Then one must ask oneself two very importan...

This is the fourth in the series, "Living as Whole Persons in Jesus Christ." I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.                                                       Psalm 139:14  (NRSV) I appeal to you, therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect.                                                    Romans 12:1-2 (NRSV) Or do you not know tha...