Christian Reflections

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).  

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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

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Politicians from all sides like to ask a version of this question: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”It is not clear which politician first asked that question, but it has become more common, and it does make an impact in many cases. It is

“Hi, Charles,” the barista called out as I entered the coffee shop. Without thinking, I said “Hello,” and started my order. As I was waiting, I thought how interesting it was that this barista called me by name. I don’t go to coffee shops every day, but there are two or three I sometimes go

I remember my grandpa’s razor. He died when I was a child, but I remember seeing his old one-blade razor sitting by the mirror at my grandparents’ home when I was going over to visit. It was a sturdy, wooden razor with a steel head. The head unscrewed so the blade would fit inside it.

The elderly man stood just outside the door of the local grocery store. He waited as if maybe he was thinking about going back in, as if he had forgotten something. Then, it became clear why he was waiting. Slowly and carefully he pushed the door open and held it as an elderly woman with

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The season of Lent began on March 5 with a commemoration called Ash Wednesday. Lent is a period of 40 days when Christians prepare themselves for the arrival of Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the hope this provides. During Lent, the Church actively

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — It’s an often-used saying: Don’t judge someone until you are willing to walk a mile in his shoes. However, its power never diminishes. The biblical term for seeking to feel or connect with another is “compassion.” The original (Greek) word means “to suffer with.” Better said, when someone suffers,

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — From the very beginning of time, humans have wrestled with the fact that we are all created with differences. In fact, there are entire groups of people who differ from other groups. We humans tend to flock toward those most like us in appearance and preferences. Sometimes we do