When Jesus came into Jerusalem he went to the temple, but it was late so he went to stay with friends for the evening. The next day he and his disciples were leaving there and we don’t often hear anyone talk about the about the fig tree, but it was important enough to place into the Scriptures so there must be a lesson to this, correct? And perhaps there is…..
Jesus rode the colt into Jerusalem and everyone who heard about his coming laid palm branches down and shouted ‘Hosanna in the highest!”
What did they mean when they were shouting those words? When I was growing up I thought Hosanna was a praise word – I understood they were praising Jesus. When I became a student of the Word as an adult I learned…..
Some people think that Lenten traditions of discipline and the Christian life of repentance is all drudgery. Some think it’s about self-debasing or self-loathing and that we walk around with heavy sacks laden with remorse and sin on our backs. But that isn’t what lent and repentance is about. No, the season of Lent and the action of repentance is about lightening our loads. The season is…..
Over the years through the season of Lent and in my participation and leadership in Alpha, Daughters of the King, in my friendships and in my volunteer and work time spent in healthcare settings I’ve spent time listening to people talk about their struggles with sin. I never pretended that I didn’t have struggles of…..
Yesterday in my post I referenced Romans 6 and mentioned the subtitle of part of the Chapter – “Slaves to Righteousness” – later in the day I read an article saying that Christians can turn people off talking about righteousness. I’ve heard the same kind of thing said about Christians in pursuit of justice. I think the truth is better said that some Christians are called to speak,…..
What do you think about when you hear the words: “Quality of Life”
Do you think about how much fun there is to be had and how much wealth there is to accumulate?
Do you think about health care issues?
Do you think about what kind of clothes a person wears?
What kind of car they drive?
…..
I’m trying to get the table cleared off and the extensions put away so I’ve been cleaning up piles of papers. It’s tedious going through the stacks, but I’m glad I did. I found a poem/prayer that I wrote back in 2009. Not sure how it got to the table today as these stacks have not been on the table that long!!!! Anyway – it would have been good to include in the book “Praying Our Way Through Stress: Drawing Wisdom…..
What if you took 40 days to fast from self-loathing? It would be a wonderful form of self-discipline and act of repentance during the Lenten Season.
So many of us are in the habit of saying some very “not nice” things about ourselves and other people and even the Lord. Negative self-talk is a vicious circle that can destroy a person, a family, an organization, the world. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I include the world in the list…..
Today, I’ve been thinking about the Lenten Season and the Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry.
Several of my recent posts have the word Repentance in the title. Jesus began his ministry saying: Repent and believe in the good news! Sometimes when you listen to the news, read newspapers and listen to people talk about what is going in the world and in their lives at home, work and in the community you might wonder where the good news is that you…..
I remember being a very young child when one of my grandparents died – I looked at him in the coffin and asked the adult who was with me (rather loudly) “Why is everyone crying? He’s only sleeping, he’ll wake up, Jesus said so.” I was quickly whisked away to another room.
This morning in our small group discussion I shared briefly some of my thoughts about Jesus asking his disciples to stay awake when they were in the garden…..