By human standards dogs are simplistic creatures. They may spend their whole lives trying to learn how to roll over, or not get into the trash. They will never appreciate the fine arts or literature. They will never be able to accomplish all the human glories we aspire to and love. Yet, I wonder, should we pity them or should they pity us?
Genuine humility is a combination of unbridled truth and selflessness. When I cling to anything which isn’t true at it’s deepest level it comes from a place of pride
The story of Easter is a profound map of the spiritual journey. Jesus plainly calls us to pick up our cross and follow him to death. The death which Jesus modeled is the death of the false self. It is the crucifixion of the ego. It is the end of what was never real.
As Christians we are called to live like Christ and he has given us a beautiful example not only in his willingness to bear the cross but in his resoluteness as he knowingly approached it. In John 12, after his entrance into Jerusalem, Jesus spoke about his death which was to come. He spoke not … Continue reading A Kernel of Wheat, a Cross on Calvary, and a French Mystic
About 500 years ago there was a massive change in Western Christianity. I'd like you to set aside your opinions about whether the Protestant Reformation was a good thing or not and think instead about what made it possible. It was a time of great change not just in the Church but in Western society … Continue reading Will Social Media Change Religion Completely?
Last week we talked about the law and how it is meant to be understood. The main point Jesus was making was that it’s less important what you do and more important who you are. He urged us to look inwardly and be concerned with our interior condition which is the cause of all … Continue reading What Do You Worship and What Will Be Your Reward?
Yesterday was Robert Burns day and today I would like to do something a little different. For those of you who don’t know, Robert Burns is Scotland’s most famous poet. He lived in the 1700s and wrote numerous poems, many of which have been turned into songs like Auld Lang Syne, the one we all … Continue reading Burns and the Bible: From Whence Comes Your Worth?
In Mark's telling of Jesus being baptised (Mark 1:4-11), John told his disciples that he baptises with water but the messiah will baptise with the Holy Spirit. Baptism with water is an ancient tradition, it didn’t begin with John and it is certainly not reserved for Christianity. The practice of baptism in many pagan religions … Continue reading Every Christian Should be a Pickle: The True Meaning of Baptism
All around us the natural world of God’s creation is singing praises to the heavens in perfect harmony with one another, it is our task to join them and praise God in unison with all creation.
But that’s not real life – bad things happen to good people and God makes the sun shine on the righteous and the wicked alike. We all know it, and Job knew it, and that’s what this book addresses.
