'Christians' Tagged Posts
Comfort Zone Caution
The story goes that a mother ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream. She found his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released the little girl’s grip and said comfortingly to the boy, “There, there, she didn’t mean it. She doesn’t know that it hurts.” He nodded his acknowledgment, and she left the room. As she started down the hall the little girl screamed. Rushing back in, she asked, “What happened? The little boy replied,…
Just Like Pluto
For 76 years, Pluto was a planet. Then one day back in 2006, it wasn’t. On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded Pluto to the status of a dwarf planet based on their newly refined definition of a planet.1 The demotion of Pluto to the status of a dwarf planet was influenced by the fact that Pluto acts differently than the other eight planets. In particular, Pluto’s orbit is different. It is elliptical rather than circular and…
Have you been Chosen?
Being chosen is a big deal. Think about when you were a kid, and teams were being picked at recess for a game. The one thing you did not want to be was the last one chosen because that meant nobody wanted you on his or her team. Think about when you got engaged. Whether you were the one proposing or the one being proposed to, the moment was special because someone chose you to be their spouse. Think about…
EXTRA-ORDINARY MEN
People do not decide to be extraordinary, they simply decide to accomplish extraordinary things. One such man was named Sir Edmund Hilary born July 20, 1919. Starting out in life Edmund was always much smaller than the neighborhood kids and classmates. Instead of going out and playing with the big kids he spent his time mostly indoors reading or playing with toy trains. As he grew up, though, his problem of having a small frame and a short stature quickly…
PROBLEM SOLVER
If you’re looking for baby names, how about these two beauties: Euodiaand Syntyche. I know what you’re probably thinking: “I knew a Euodia in high school, and she was a total jerk.” But wouldn’t those names look absolutely fantastic on a monogrammed diaper bag or a Christmas stocking? You know they would. Seriously though, would you like to have been either Euodia or Syntyche when the letter to the Philippians was read out loudto the entire congregation for the first time?…
Forgiving One Another
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32). These inspired words of Paul come in the midst of a series of exhortations regarding how Christians should conduct themselves in this world. Having earlier spoken of the unity that Christians enjoy in the Lord (Ephesians 4:1-16), Paul opened this section on Christian behavior with the word, “therefore” (Ephesians 4:17) and he did so for the purpose of drawing a contrast…
THE FRAMING DEPARTMENT – PART FOUR
Over the past several weeks, we have been exploring the concept of how we “frame” our lives. In other words, what are the primary motivations that drive our thoughts, words, actions, and decisions? So far, we have looked at the frames of “Self-Righteousness,” “Guilt,” and “Fear,” and we have seen that these are poor choices, both practically and biblically. If we have chosen any of these frames for our lives, we will find them to be disappointing, frustrating, and disconnected…
LIKE-MINDED TOWARD ONE ANOTHER
Throughout the New Testament, the phrase “one another” appears over ninety times and is associated with over thirty-five different verbs, which identify activities in which Christians are to be engaged as part of the body of believers. Implicit in these “one another” passages is the expectation of community. Over the past few weeks, we have been investigating some of these “one another” instructions in an effort to identify our responsibilities to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. As…
GREET ONE ANOTHER
Throughout the New Testament, the phrase “one another” appears over ninety times and is associated with over thirty-five different verbs, which identify activities in which Christians are to be engaged as part of the body of believers. Implicit in these “one another” passages is the expectation of community. Over the past few weeks, we have been investigating some of these “one another” instructions in an effort to identify our responsibilities to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. As…
ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER
Throughout the New Testament, the phrase “one another” appears over ninety times and is associated with over thirty-five different verbs, which identify activities in which Christians are to be engaged as part of the body of believers. Implicit in these “one another” passages is the expectation of community. Over the past few weeks we have been investigating some of these “one another” instructions in an effort to identify our responsibilities to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. As…
BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS
Throughout the New Testament, the phrase “one another” appears over ninety times and is associated with over thirty-five different verbs, which identify activities in which Christians are to be engaged as part of the body of believers. Implicit in these “one another” passages is the expectation of community. Last week, we began a series of articles intended to investigate some of these “one another” commands in an effort to identify our responsibilities to one another as brothers and sisters in…
The Framing Department – Part One
One of our favorite stores, as a family, is Hobby Lobby. We go into Hobby Lobby to look at lots of different things: I enjoy the comic book wall art (because I’m a mature adult who still likes superheroes), the girls like looking at the toys, and Brooke likes pretty much everything else. Also, you can shop for Christmas trees in mid-May, which is always a much-needed burst of festivity during the summer months. Going into Hobby Lobby, however, it…
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