Today is Maundy Thursday. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for “command” in John 13:34. Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” So on Maundy Thursday some churches hold intimate, simple gatherings before the fireworks of Easter to sing, pray, … Continue reading Downton Abbey and Maundy Thursday
love
Chronic busyness
I’ve been talking a lot about love this week. It’s partly because… -I recently spoke about love at the church I pastor -a school shooting in Florida reminds us how desperately love continues to be needed -and Jesus commands us to do it. So as we try to love—that is, as we try to acknowledge that … Continue reading Chronic busyness
Zeroing in on the key ingredient
For centuries people chewed on the bark of Willow Trees to relieve pain. As we entered the modern period, some people wanted to find out why. Did it have something to do with chewing on the rough bark itself? Or did it have something to do with the orange-ish resin? They did some tests. Nope. … Continue reading Zeroing in on the key ingredient
Loved people love people
I was watching an interview with someone who worked with at-risk youth. He said, “Hurt people hurt people.” He meant that if someone has been deeply hurt in their past, they often hurt other people simply because it’s what they know. Is that always the case? No. But in his experience it was often true. … Continue reading Loved people love people
Love defined
Today is Valentine's day. It's a day a lot of people spend thinking about love. But I'd like to widen our scope a bit and think about what love actually means. And not just in the romantic sense, but in the wider love-your-neighbour sense. I think that when we look at Jesus’ example, love means … Continue reading Love defined
Love is…
Everyone loves the idea of love. I'm not necessarily talking about romantic love (although what I'm about to say applies to that too), but love in general. Who's ever heard of someone saying they don’t like love, or that love is bad? Since it’s so widely venerated and used, it’s a word that can easily … Continue reading Love is…
You’ve never fled or fallen too far
“God couldn’t love me. Not after what I’ve done.” I hear this sometimes. Maybe not those exact words. But some form of them. Sure, we know the words to “Jesus loves me” and, on some level, mentally agree that they’re true. But then life goes on, things happen—sometimes terrible things, and we doubt God’s love. … Continue reading You’ve never fled or fallen too far
Hurting trumps busyness
Writer, speaker and scientist Alister McGrath says that “To love God entails loving what God loves.” So who does God love? God loves the emotionally needy. God loves the braggart. God loves the one we overlook. God loves the forgotten. God loves those who are struggling. 1 John 3:18 says, “let us not love with words or … Continue reading Hurting trumps busyness
Never underestimate your impact
Yesterday was the 3-year anniversary of the death of my dad, Eric. He was 64. As I look back, I think about the kind of dad he was. He was a great dad. But to be honest, he probably wouldn’t have won a dad-of-the-year award. He was more low-key than that. Plus, he wasn’t perfect. Just as … Continue reading Never underestimate your impact
Reverse gravity
You want to serve. But things in life are already weighing you down. But what if helping others actually made you feel... lighter?
