In reading over the previous conversation it’s apparent that there is still disagreement about the nature of forgiveness. We all know that we need it. But we disagree about when it is appropriate to give it. Our problem is that the Bible, in wisdom, says at least two different things: (1) That forgiveness is to […]
Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus are known for their wisdom. All three reflect the characteristics of wise teachers. They use short stories and memorable one-liners to help others think for themselves. They help their followers see below surface issues to matters of the heart. They teach their followers to live with priority and perspective. All three, […]
I’ve been sitting here for the last hour or so, sipping on a strong cup of coffee, reading… and thinking about the thoughts and stories posted here over the last couple of days–by friends. Most of us have never met each other face to face. Yet here, in thoughts typed thousands of miles apart, we […]
Yesterday, Steve, of WVa reminded us of an any-time-of-year musical Christmas card that we passed around a couple of years ago. Thanks, Steve. I’m going to post it again here in a link to another YouTube version of “Mary Did You Know” by Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd. It remains something I can listen to […]
More than a few of us know that some of the coldest, darkest times of our lives have been spent under the lights of Christmas– surrounded by the warmth of others singing Joy to the world. Recalling those moments, we might wonder why the lights, sounds, and good will of the happiest time of the […]
A segment on NPR today calls attention to a stress reliever and health factor that is right under our nose. In a discussion about the potential effects of breathing on everything from digestion, heart, brain function, and our immune system, “Mladen Golubic, a physician in the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine, says that breathing […]
In sports the goal is to win. And, as a number of you commented in the last post, competition shows up in every area of our lives– always raising questions of relationship and accomplishment. So what is the goal of the follower of Christ? I’ll give the answer I’ve been thinking about recently, and see […]
In the last couple of posts we’ve been thinking together about the relationship between what Paul says about Christ “being made wisdom for us” (1Cor 1:30) and the description of wisdom James gave us when he wrote, The wisdom that comes from above first of all pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield (deferential), full of […]
Solomon put a high value on wisdom. According to him nothing that we desire can compare with it (Prov 3:13-15). But then came Paul. He wrote that God made Christ to be wisdom for us (1Cor 1:30). Since wisdom is the ability to use knowledge to reach a desired goal, Paul seems to be saying […]
The California Gold Rush of 1848 created its share of prospectors who thought they had struck it rich—until learning about a glittering rock that came to be known as fool’s gold. More than a few saw their dreams fade in the metallic luster and brass-yellow hue of a relatively worthless mineral called iron pyrite. Such […]
