Hospice, Not a Hospital

Today’s post ran in the local paper where I live. I adapted it from a post that appeared on The Voice of One last year.  *** Last year, I read Pope Francis’s encyclical, “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.” In it, the Pope lays out his views “on the environment and human ecology.”…

Jesus (Not Jones)

One of my mix CDs has a song by Jesus Jones called, “Right Here, Right Now.” During the chorus, the lyrics are, “Right here, right now, there is no other place I want to be. Right here, right now, watching the world wake up from history.” As the music rises and crests, you can almost…

Those JELL-O Loving Antichrists

Originally posted on The Voice of One:
Scripture tells us “God is love,” and that God’s love was most profoundly shown through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (1 John 4:16; John 3:16; 1 John 3:16).  At one point in my walk I wondered: Is Jesus the historical person important?  Or is it just the spirit…

Beef and Bourbon

Mahatma Gandhi famously complained that converting to Christianity meant converting to beef and bourbon. Some Indian converts also wore European clothing. This offended Gandhi’s religious and cultural sensibilities. Christianity’s interaction with culture has a complicated history. All of us live Christianity in our particular time, place, and culture. The eternal Word comes in our flesh,…

Head Covering

While wandering the internet I stumbled across a blog advocating that women cover their heads.   Naturally, 1 Corinthians 11:5-6 was the author’s text— But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved. So if a woman’s head is not…

The Life-Driven Purpose

Jesus has been emphasizing His indwelling.  He is relating more and more of spiritual life to this reality.  Lately, the Lord has been defining purpose by His indwelling.  Jesus living within is my entire purpose and your entire purpose. Purpose is not found in ministries, activities, or occupations.  We may be called to these things…

I am, He Is

I am in the One of whom the Father said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). He pleases the Father in me. I am in the One who died to sin and now lives to God (Rom. 6:10-11). He is dead to sin and lives to…

Soul Vs. Spirit

“But the soulish person does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone” (1 Cor. 2:14-15). These verses contrast two types of people:…

Wanted: A Few Good Idiots

This past weekend,  I had the following article published in the religion section of our local paper. I posted a slightly different version on The Voice of One two years ago. Given America’s current political climate, I feel like the thoughts in this article are especially relevant. *** “The Idiot” is a book by Russian…