Above left: Clarence Oddbody, George Bailey’s guardian angel ————————– In Luke 1:26-38 an angel of the Lord appeared to Mary to tell her that she, a virgin, would be giving birth to Jesus, the Son of God, whose ‘kingdom will never end.’ In verse thirty, the angel says to Mary, […]
3103) God’s Christmas Surprise for Us (1/2) Read More »
A Canadian girl’s simple, poignant plea to her fighting parents is resonating with millions of people online. Six-year-old Tiana lives in Surrey, British Columbia. Last week, the first-grader overheard a disagreement between her parents, and pulled her mom aside for a chat. “I want you and my dad to be settled
3068) A Child’s Plea for a Peaceful Home Read More »
I am on the conservative side of our great political divide. I hope I do not lose any friends or readers because of that. You would not cease to be my friend if you told me you were on the other side. Approximately half of my fellow Americans are on the other side,
3019) Love Your Enemies Read More »
Image above: Full-page ad encouraging membership in the White Citizens’ Council, from The Selma Times-Journal, June 9,1963. ****************************** Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon, in Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, 1989, pages 110-111. ———————————– An old pastor was serving in a small Southern town in the throes of the 1950’s school desegregation
3016) “I Am Ashamed of You” Read More »
One afternoon, according to an old Sufi (Muslim) tale, Nasruddin and his friend were sitting in a cafe, drinking tea, and talking about life and love. ”How come you never got married, Nasruddin?” asked his friend at one point. ”Well,” Nasruddin said, “to tell you the truth, I spent
3002) “She’s Perfect, But…” Read More »
The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste time wondering whether you are able to ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.
2995) How to Love Your Neighbor Read More »
Today’s meditation was written by retired pastor Chris Brekke, a long-time friend of mine. He posts a thrice-weekly, wise and witty devotional reading on his website titled Seasoned Hope, which can be found at: https://pcbrek2020.wordpress.com ******************************** As I was pushing the cart out to my car at the grocery store, I stopped
In the classic Life Together Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes how we should live together as Christians. In the following selections, he describes how to deal with those difficulties we all face in our relationships: bearing with people who are a burden to us, forgiving those who have wronged us, and praying for others, especially for those we
2614) When Others are a Burden Read More »
Somewhere along the line, and the sooner the better, we all need to take a step back from our strong political opinions and remember that we live in a DEMOCRACY, or, to be more precise, a REPUBLIC. That is to say, we make our decisions as by voting—voting for the people who will vote on
2471) “We Must Not Be Enemies” Read More »
“What Do You Think of the Humans?” by Chris Brekke, posted September 6, 2020, on his brand new website/blog Seasoned Hope, at: http://www.pcbrek2020.wordpress.com Chris, a good friend of mine, is a retired Lutheran pastor who has written several books including Joke Devotions (1, 2, and 3), Got a Question? (1 and 2), and Faith Appetizers.
2445) A New Commandment Read More »
