Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

John 20:19-31 This is my favorite quotes from the 2012 film, "Life of Pi." screen play by David Magee and based on the novel of the same name by Yann Martel: Adult Pi Patel:  "Faith is a house with many rooms." Writer: "But no room for doubt?" Adult Pi Patel:  Oh, plenty, on every floor.  Doubt is useful, it keeps faith a living thing.  After all, you cannot know the strength of your faith until it is tested." Does a "good" Christan ever doubt?  I know an honest one does.  Like Thomas, we've all experienced things that have left us questioning our faith. Having experienced the trauma of Christ's death, Thomas has trouble believing in Jesus' resurrection.  After all, in his experience, once a person is dead, that person stays dead.  Like all of us facing terrible times of loss that shake us to the foundation of our faith, Thomas probably found himself on his knees asking God, "Why?"  "Where are You in...

I Corinthians 15:19-26 John 20:1-18 A young woman looks at the box.  It was a strange gift for when she received it, she was told she could never, ever open it.  Yet she had to look, she had to see for herself.  In the old Greek myth, when Pandora opened the box, she loosed upon the world a pestilence of suffer, sorrow and evil.  She slammed the lid of the box back down as soon as she could.  Taking a quick peek, she found it was not empty. Mary Magdalene, Peter and John had to look, to see for themselves, but what did they find on that first Easter morning?  Would they find what Pandora found? I think that the last thing Mary Magdalene, Peter and John expected to find that morning was a risen Christ. Mary had been among the women who watched from the foot of the cross.  The smell of death, blood and fear hung in the air as she, Jesus' mother and aunt, looked up into a face so bruised and beaten it was almost unrecognizable.  She...

Matthew 8:23-27 (CEB) The first time I rode a tandem bike, I was terrified.  Here we were zipping along a busy bike path, passing other cyclists, elderly pedestrians and small children on tricycles on a very expensive bike we hadn't even paid for yet.   It was a test ride, and I was scared we were going to crash into a tree or mow someone down.  Basically, I didn't trust my husband to keep me safe. Oh well, I suppose it could have been worse.  I could have been in a boat. Even today, it's not unusual for sudden and violent storms to come raging down the hills surrounding the lake known as the Sea of Galilee.  Caught in a big storm in the middle a very lake in a tiny boat, of course the disciples were terrified, panicking as huge waves broke over the sides of their vessel. Who wouldn't be?  I would be right with them as they rushed to find Jesus sleeping peacefully through the storm, joining my voice with theirs.   "We're all ...

Luke 15:1-3,11b-32 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 When staying at a hotel in a scenic destination, everyone wants the coveted "room with a view."  The one people will pay extra for just so they can open the curtains each morning and look out and see the sun sparkling on a tropical sea or a pristine spring-fed lake surrounded by majestic mountains.  They want to sip their morning coffee while gazing at the historic old buildings of a European city or the narrow streets of a quaint, old village.  Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?   But the one we should pray for is priceless; it cost us nothing, but Jesus paid for it with his life. It's a cross with a view. Stories are powerful. They can heal broken lives and grieving hearts. A story, like a parable, can give us hope, inspire us to action or convict our souls. They can change how we look at things and give us a new perspective, a different view of the world. That's why Jesus told them. There was a man who...