In many places, gatherings of any size have been restricted to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). On Sunday, our church live-streamed our worship service for the first time ever. Many other churches did this as well, and I checked out portions of the other services in our community. It was fun to be…
Tag: death
King Virus
These days, it’s impossible to avoid hearing about coronavirus. Corona means “crown.” Recently, I found my mind drifting to the opening of the first seal in Revelation 6:2– “I looked, and there was a white horse. The horseman on it had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a victor…
Dead or Alive
“Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring in union with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:14). Paul has been talking with the Thessalonians about what they have suffered because of their belief in Jesus. His aim in writing is to connect the Thessalonians’…
Life out of Death
Joseph embodies the key reality of spirituality: life out of death. God is a God of life out of death. This is His way. Everything He does or creates expresses it. If we would truly know the Lord, our experience will be marked by life out of death. Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit…
Becoming Small
http://www.designspectre.com/photography/sequence-photography/ I decided to repost this. Merry Christmas! *** Becoming small, a bird folding wings, He drew Himself down into the earth. The One with no beginning knew the birth of flesh and blood and felt its slow wringing. By dying He became a scales fixed in place to judge—every valley raised and mountain planed…
Change or Die: A Post-Christmas Wrap Up
This past weekend, I wrote a piece for the religion column of our local paper. The following is an excerpt with a link to the full article *** Two years ago, I introduced my daughter to Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. We read the book then watched some film versions. The 2009 animated version (with Jim…
Filling the Empty Tomb
Chloe Last month, our cat Chloe was diagnosed with feline leukemia. Two days later we had to put her to sleep. She was too weak and debilitated. Six weeks earlier, Chloe had a routine checkup. At that time the vet said she was in great health. Losing her in three days’ time was stunning. Our…
Death!
Image from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King I love the book and movie series, Lord of the Rings. LOTR’s author, JRR Tolkien, was Catholic. The world of LOTR is deeply imbued with Christian realities. One of my favorite moments occurs in the third installment, Return of the King. A hoarde of orcs and other…
Rest in Peace
In a previous post, I mentioned the Lord has me in a season of rest. Besides limiting my pursuit of hobbies, the Lord has limited my pursuit of Him. Intense study and prayer are off the table; I too easily turn these points of divine relationship into tasks to be achieved. This season has been…
Slaves of Death
“Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death–that is, the Devil–and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15). Certainly, the above verses…
The Voice of One 