What is it about Olympic competition that seems to lift the games to a level of spirituality that is usually reserved for thoughts of worship? Why are we so moved? Is it the stories of individual athletes who have overcome all obstacles to realize their dream; the sacrifices they and their families have made; their […]
Some call it superstition. Others talk with familiarity about the sports gods who lift up underdogs and bring down the mighty. As the 2012 London Summer Olympic games begin, coaches, teammates, and fans all over the world will be trying not to jinx their national athletes. Everyone seems to sense that, for reasons beyond ourselves, […]
In our earlier discussion of “The Gambler” one of our friends started a discussion that seems to pit Paul against Jesus, and “life in the Spirit of Jesus” against the “Christianity of Paul.” The lingering subject surfaced again repeatedly in our last discussion about “things that last” longer than a tattoo. Seems like we are […]
Was interested to read a BBC article today about an Atlanta woman who got a tattoo to celebrate her participation as a 2012 Olympic torch bearer. Only after sending a picture to a friend did she discover that her badge of honor was misspelled. The good natured woman said that, even though the parlor artist […]
Jesus isn’t remembered for saying many predictable things. But the unexpected quote that has had my attention today is when our Teacher suddenly talks to one of his most committed disciples as if he is talking to his enemy. One minute he is blessing Peter and telling him that he (Peter) had been entrusted with […]
How much of the world beyond has echoes, or reflections, in the world we know? While thinking about the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians, I’ve been thinking again about The Gambler, the Don Schlitz song that Kenny Rogers made famous in 1978. While The Gambler isn’t Bible, the perspective it offers from the mouth […]
In the early 1950s, a small Chicago-based religious sect predicted that the world was going to end on December 21, 1954. Their leader claimed to have received this information from an alien reincarnation of Jesus who went by the name of Sananda. Their prophecy caught the attention of researchers from Stanford University, who decided to […]
