"Knowing we are going to heaven when we die is better than uncertainly and the fear or judgment. But we have to expect very little from Christian life down on earth. We settle for being sort of second class Christians." (Bob George)
Martha is driven by duty rather than delight. She may be an effective organizer, a great cook, conscientious in all that she does, but she is simply responsible, not inspired, even on the day when Jesus himself comes to dinner.
Barbara Brown Taylor once said, "We believe Jesus is the only way, and that his way teaches us to live in peace with other ways…. Ask me about God's opinion of other ways, and I will refer you to God."
We repent because God loves us. Let's don't break God's heart.
As our view of Easter fades in our rearview mirrors, we’re facing a radical concept: Living like Easter matters . . . eschewing the idea that Easter comes once a year and involves primarily a whole lot of chocolate.
We have decided we can follow Jesus without a cross, without sacrifice. We want a low demand faith--that requires little of us. But even popular wisdom says, "That which costs you nothing is worth nothing."
Jesus' disciples made a splash at Pentecost that sent out ripples that have grown ever larger through the centuries, until those few disciples have become hundreds of millions.
True hospitality is not about impressing our friends. It is studiously welcoming someone who is a stranger to you, and allowing yourself to be changed in the process.
Shouldn’t everything stop at least for a little while? Shouldn’t the world stop turning or something? It should, I thought. But it didn’t. It didn’t when Stu died--and it certainly didn’t when Jesus died.
Have you noticed? The future becomes the present on its way to becoming the past. As this happens, we must come to terms with problems and challenges and tragedies. We must open ourselves to obvious moments of grace.