Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
God uses our brokenness for His glory Kintsugi, literally "joining with gold," is a centuries-old Japanese technique of fixing broken ceramics. When a piece of pottery breaks, the pieces are put together, not with invisible glue so no one sees the flaws, but rather with gold lacquer so that the fracture is obvious. These repaired… Continue reading Broken and Beloved
Personal acclaim and a desire for social influence must be secondary (at least) to our acclaim of and influence for the Kingdom of God. "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). When I started writing this series all… Continue reading Everything is Secondary: part five
Professional ambition must be secondary to our ambition for the gospel of God. "For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for… Continue reading Everything is Secondary, Part 4
Political affiliation must be secondary to our affiliation with the people of God. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9-10). "For our boast… Continue reading Everything is Secondary, part 3
Ethnic allegiance must be secondary to our allegiance to God. "So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching the good news… Continue reading Everything is Secondary 2
A five-part series about priorities This is a five-session devotion considering the pre-eminence of Jesus over everything else in this mortal life. Ideology has taken over faith in many churches and among many people who call themselves Christian. I don't think anyone will argue that the world is bitterly divided in 2024. Wars, both heavily… Continue reading Everything is Secondary
And how they affect grace I haven't thought much about personality types in a while, but I read a post the other day that got me thinking about how personality may influence how we extend grace to each other. For example, on the ever-popular Myers-Briggs spectrum, I am an INTJ. It's consistent, too, across both… Continue reading Personalities
God has prepared us for this very thing-Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! It's cold here in the South today. Nothing like what my friends in the North and Midwest experience, but when the temperature is below freezing for most of a week, these California-born fingers struggle to move. I can't sit close… Continue reading Fear is not all-powerful
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep… Continue reading Grace Wears Pink
I am sitting in my living room. There is a fire in the fireplace. One dog is next to me and the other is sound asleep at my feet. My husband is in his recliner preparing for the work week. Michigan beat Alabama; the Longhorns and Huskies are tied. It has been a bus day,… Continue reading Word for 2024
Defaulting to Grace 