And she wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them at the inn. (Lk. 2:7) I’d received a phone call from a distraught mother. Her 30-something daughter had disappeared. The mother feared that her daughter—let me call her Abby—could have committed suicide. A …
Tag: Trust
Taking Responsibility for Your Life
Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? The man said, ‘The woman whom you have to be with me, she gave me the fruit from the tree, and I ate.’ (Gen 3:11-13) Recently I was asked to help resolve some serious conflicts between two colleagues. I planned …
Jesus at Our Side
But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.' Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased.(Mark …
God’s Breath Gives Us Life
…then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. (Gen. 2:7) I was a competitive swimmer in high school. In order to stay in shape during the off-season, our coach encouraged us to become lifeguards. …
God’s Love in Christ Jesus
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers…nor anything else will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:37 passim) I recently attended a funeral. It was a sad funeral for many reasons, one of which is that the man …
God’s Wondrous Love
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8) Three weeks after my son John was born we had to rush him to the hospital. He had a virus and his whole system was shutting down. Every night I stayed with him—touching his little …
The Sermon on the Mount
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit..." (Mt. 5-7) We had just finished a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We gathered at the bottom of a hill where …
Trusting in God’s Grace
Therefore, confess your sins to one another… (Jas. 5:16) I was in my twenties, on my knees, confessing my sins to a monk, and I heard him snoring. When I loudly coughed he woke up for a few moments, but then he fell asleep again. I was miffed he was so inattentive. I thought my …
Coffee With Jesus
In the morning, while it was still very dark, [Jesus] got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. (Mk. 1:35) For many years my spiritual advisor was a monk. His name was Tom. Although I haven’t worked with him for many years, I’m still drawing from our times together. …
Glimpses of Heaven
The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life… (John 3:35) Just as hell can be here and now, so can heaven. Jesus says that when we believe in Him, we are given eternal life. Heaven isn’t simply the place where we hope …