Jesus is Better than Hope in a Jar

What is hope? Where do you go to find hope? Can hope be found? Is it real or is hope just a feeling you get when things go well? I had a jar sitting on my bathroom counter and the label said it all. “Hope in a Jar.” It sounded so reassuring. Part of the reason I purchased this smooth concoction of age reducing moisturizer was that I actually believed what it said, at least in part. I fell for the alluring advertising. It appealed to my desire for a more youthful complexion in the midst of my aging reality. […]

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Happy New Year?

The ball has dropped, the tinsel is fading, and the fireworks and celebrations are spent. Advent is over, the new year is here and things have not changed. I look around and see no radical move of God, no deep and lasting transformation. Like last year, my resolutions look more like my Christmas wish list – mostly dreams and unfulfilled longings. The beginning of a new year brings hope of renewal, fresh starts and clean slates. That is what I used to think. I guess I have lived a few more years and am more realistic these days. I now […]

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Outcasts

Something about the title of this article probably interests you. The word “outcast” may have caught your attention, but probably not in a positive way. It’s the kind of interest you have when you drive by the scene of a horrific car accident. You pretend you do not want to view the details, but inside you long to see every bit of the horror. What do you think of when you read the word “outcast”? Do you envision the person in your neighborhood that looks different from you? Do you picture the woman on the busy intersection median boldly soliciting […]

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Less Spiritual, More Free

I’ll be honest, I’m wrestling these days. These words have echoed in my heart this week; less spiritual, more free. I doubt that I will ever be the same. Although God grabbed hold of me eleven years ago, I feel like I have been reborn again. It’s a bit scary. It’s like losing a foothold and losing control. It’s like having the roadmap ripped out of my hands while traveling at breakneck speed. It doesn’t seem to make sense but at the same time it seems too good to be true! More and more these days I find myself singing […]

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Best Friends Forever?

Lean On Me What comes to mind when you think about friends? Do you quickly run through images of the faces you have welcomed into your life over the years? Does it warm your heart to think about the one friend you can always count on? You know, the one you could spend hours talking to? I have had those people in my life. My best friend from middle school is still a friend of mine to this day. We don’t talk very often, but when we do, we pick up right where we left off. We have shared hopes, […]

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Anger Games

Anger – just the word itself invokes a vision of red, an increased heartbeat,  sweaty palms and a racing mind. One medical website describes anger this way: “Anger is a very powerful emotion that can stem from feelings of frustration, hurt, annoyance or disappointment. It is a normal human emotion that can range from slight irritation to strong rage.” As I contemplate the word, I am rehearsing various conversations and situations from my past. I have been angry at a chair as I walked by and stubbed my toe.  I have cursed cars that cut me off in traffic. I […]

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Criminal Minds

What would you say if you found out that the young woman sitting next to you in church was a thief? Recently I traveled to a conference and had a conversation with a woman like that and, ever since, I have not been able to get that discussion out of my mind. She shared with me that, for a period of time during her high school years, she often stole and, I have to admit, I was a bit shocked. After all, she seemed like such a “good” girl – she spent 12 years in a Christian school, was raised […]

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Want To Be A Good Christian?

I have had a few conversations recently with friends and co-workers on the subject of mentoring and discipleship.  Quite honestly, those two words make me a bit nervous.  Frankly, they conjure up images of two people sitting at a table, one with a Bible staring intently into the face of the person without the Bible. The all-knowing mentor proceeds to tell the unsuspecting disciple all the things necessary for living the Christian life. Have you experienced this for yourself on one side or the other?  I have, and I cringe when I recall the uncomfortable and ridiculous task of mentoring […]

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Marriage: What Everyone Should Know

The Bad News:  5 Steps and 10 Commandments Don’t Work There are more books, sermons, counselors and blogs giving advice and help for marriages than ever before in the history of mankind! Topics on marriage “how to” abound. An Amazon search returned these popular titles: 4 Days to a Forever Marriage, The Ten Commandments of Marriage: The Do’s and Don’ts for a Lifelong Covenant, The Rules for Marriage: Time-Tested Secrets for Making Your Marriage Work and 5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage From Good to Great. Reading these book titles leads one to believe marriage is easy.  In four […]

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Twitter #Single

Yes, search #single on twitter and find a myriad of interesting, funny and sad tweets.  One hundred forty characters are used to punctuate a person’s perspective on being single.   A quick peek revealed a range of feelings including: #single  I do what I wanna do, #single and hate it, I’m not #single I’m in a long term relationship with adventure & fun, #single ! :)), kinda tired of being #single. What is it about the word single that brings either great consternation or a great sense of calm?  Whether you are young and not ready for marriage, widowed, divorced or […]

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