Christian Reflections

“It’s OK not to be OK.”

A little boy was trying to explain to his little sister the meaning of the word “grace.”

“At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him” (Mark 1:12-13).

If given a preference, none of us would choose to be sad.

“Godliness with contentment is great gain” (The Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:6).

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6).

“He sits with tax collectors and sinners.”

Musician Leon Redbone once said, “Home is where you hang your hat.” This is a version of the older phrase, “Home is where your heart is.”

Church attendance and connection are not the most fashionable thing to talk about these days.

We live in what one writer recently called a “time of outrage.”

Growing up, I remember watching “strong man” competitions on TV. Gigantic men from all over the world would gather to participate in incredible feats of strength that included pulling a truck, lifting large stones and racing with large weights on their backs.  

The creation account described in the Book of Genesis features God “breathing life” into human beings (Genesis 2:7).  

Have you heard?

Martin Luther King, Jr., once said that faith is not being able to see the whole staircase; rather, it is seeing and taking the next step.It’s hard to move ahead when we don’t know what the outcomes will be. And, we seldom know what the outcomes will be. Yet we are compelled by things like

Little Oscar was five years old, playing hide and seek with his elementary school friends at church. Kids were running through hallways and hiding in classrooms in the children’s department. Finally, the teacher called all the children together for snacks, because game time was over. As they gathered, she and her assistant scanned the crowd

“You know how you eat an elephant?” the professor asked a group of overwhelmed students during finals week. “One piece at a time.”The students chuckled at the metaphor, but its meaning wasn’t lost on them. We all face big challenges. Often, these are issues that seem to come out of nowhere and hit us hard.

I had a teacher who wrote the following in my yearbook at the end of my senior year in high school: “Never do anything you wouldn’t stand on a chair and announce at a family reunion.” The older I get, the wiser these words become. Looking back, though, I know how hard this advice has

Shortcuts can be helpful. A road that cuts through a stretch of land could save considerable time compared to a road that takes a roundabout way.However, some shortcuts are not as helpful. Some, in fact, can be dangerous. Taking a shortcut on the ingredients for a cake may simply produce a bad-tasting cake. However, taking

I have several friends who are marriage counselors. I once asked one of them about an approach they use with couples who are going through struggles (as all couples tend to do). He began to give me a list of a few things he tries, but the one that stuck out to me most was what he called, “The Good Things” list.

There’s nothing wrong with looking forward to big events.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A major news network once had a weekly program called “Turning Point”, which featured a real crime story each week, following an investigation from beginning to end. Toward the end of the show, the announcer would say something like, “When we return, we’ll show you the turning point of

“Symbolism over substance” is a consistent critique of political parties and political leaders, regardless of one’s political leanings.There is nothing wrong with symbols or symbolism. From the earliest days of humanity, symbols have been an important part of culture. Symbols teach us things through repetition and reminder. They rally us together behind important thoughts and

I heard the story of an elderly man who revisited his hometown after many years away. As he walked through his old neighborhood, he noticed the house where he grew up was run down and looked as if it had been abandoned for years. Across the street, the home of his childhood best friend looked

Those of us who are a bit directionally challenged (i.e., bad at directions) know the feeling of making the wrong turn at what should be a familiar intersection. We also know the feeling of taking longer to get to a destination than it should take.Thankfully, our phones have GPS built in and we can get

The phrase “whistling in the dark” has a couple of different meanings.It is sometimes used to indicate someone is pretending to be brave when they are actually afraid or uncertain. It has also been used to describe a person who talks confidently without actually knowing what he or she is talking about. However, the usage

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again” (Luke 24:5-7).These words will be read