Creative Space for Wanderers
Sometimes when I’m reading the Bible a word or verse or phrase touches me deeply and I just sit there and sob. This is one of those moments: Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to …
The NIV translation of Romans 12:13 is quite appealing: Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. I love the idea that we are to practice hospitality. Years ago, I wanted to publish a magazine with the title, Practicing Parents. I kept the domain name for years, but alas, I never followed …
One of the frequently quoted Scripture references I’ve heard is “the poor will always be with you.” Most of the time this is a quote from Jesus: The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. However, like many things Jesus said when referring to what we call Old …
Continue reading “The Poor Will Always Be With You: Be Openhanded”
James, the brother of Jesus, is pretty clear in his short contribution to the New Testament when he talks about our responsibility to help those in need: Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father …
Read 3 John The last of the short letters from John includes simple reminders to help us improve as ministers of the Gospel. This short narrative seems to be a very personal letter written to John’s friend, Gaius. John begins with words of encouragement and appreciation for the way Gaius is leading the church. This …
Read 2 John The book of Second John contains a mere 13 verses as labeled by those who divided the Bible neatly for us around 500 years ago. This short epistle manages to expose some controversy for some in the church these days. I’m not going to try to stir the pot intentionally. Instead, I …
Read 1 John 5:13-21 Imagine for a moment that you are a pastor to pastors spread across the country. Over the course of 30 or 40 years, you’ve helped plant churches (in today’s vernacular) all over the place, and you’re trying to communicate across great distances — with no internet! From what we read in …
Read 1 John 5:5-12 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Have you ever considered the idea that you should overcome the world? In just a few verses, John plants the seed that we can move beyond worldly vices and issues. Perhaps that’s …
Read 1 John 4:20-5:4 Before we wrap up John’s first epistle, let’s rewind just a bit and look at how the end of chapter 4 carries into the first few verses in chapter 5. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that our chapter and verse numbering system was created for our convenience1. John did …
Read 1 John 4:7-21 We frequently hear reference to the “love chapter” as 1 Corinthians 13. This may be true, but after re-reading this passage, we might think differently about this assertion. The overwhelming theme of John’s thoughts here is love. Here are some phrases that grab my attention in today’s reading: God is love. …
Continue reading “1John: Whoever Does Not Love Does Not Know God”