"Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready... clothed in fine linen, bright and pure - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints." (Rev. 19:7-8, RSV) Grapes grow from abiding in the vine, but …
Kind-ness…
"... and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32, RSV) Kindness: we all know it when we are recipients of it from others, for it immediately produces a sense of warmth in our hearts. It seems to remind us that we're not on our own, …
Untrained and Unequipped?…
"...God chose the foolish...of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak...of the world to shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27, NIV) There's an old saying, "God doesn't call the equipped; he equips the called". I've always liked that saying, however it has taken a long time for the truth of that to …
Getting Properly Dressed…
"...put on the Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 13:14). "...all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Galatians 3:27). "...put on the new self, created after the likeness of God..." (Ephesians 4:24). "...clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Colossians 3:12). All the verses above (as well as a …
Trying to Travel Lightly…
"...Your Heavenly Father knows what you have need of even before you ask..." (Matthew 6:8) As I write this, we're in Europe, visiting our daughter and family who live here. Really enjoying the time with the family, particularly the grandkids, now 9 and 11. Despite this, I always find traveling away from my familiar surroundings …
Avoiding Despair…
"This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." (1 John 3:19-20, NIV) Recently, I have been struggling with regret over some failures of …
A Christian’s Death…
"...I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever believes in me will never die." (John 11:25, NIV) Death is the gateway to a new life, a life so far beyond this limited one that it cannot even be imagined until experienced. Hence, …
What Is “Loving Detachment”?…
"Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another..." (Romans 13:8, RSVCE) The term "loving detachment" originally came from programs such as Al-Anon. It is a process of learning to focus more on my own thoughts, attitudes and choices - what I actually have control over - and giving up the fruitless and frustrating attempt …
Presumptuous Sins…
"But who can discern his errors? Clear thou me from hidden faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression." (Psalm 19:12-13, RSV) Presumption: "to take for granted; to overstep due boundaries; to take liberties." In verse 12, …
“Come and You Will See”…
"... Jesus turned and saw them...and said to them, 'What are you looking for?'...He said to them, 'Come and you will see'. So they went and saw..." (John 1:35-42, NAB) This was today's Gospel passage, where John the Baptist points Jesus out as "the Lamb of God" to two followers of his, Andrew and (perhaps) …
Lessons From Love School 