Are there times in the Bible when you so identify with the characters and the situation that you can almost imagine yourself in the scene? About a month before Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, a close knit family of three siblings experience pain and grief up close as the brother suddenly takes ill and passes away.…
The Season of Celebrating Lent
A couple of years ago I was with a fairly non-religious group of people on Ash Wednesday and the conversation turned in a way that surprised me. “What are you giving up for Lent?” the older, curmudgeonly gentleman asked. “Cheese” was a young lady’s quick reply. “I am giving up cheese. The doctors suspect that…
Compassion: A Quality We Dare Not Sacrifice
According to Psychology Today, decades of intense clinical research has shed a great deal of light on the psychology of human suffering. No matter how difficult and unpleasant the suffering, human suffering is often accompanied by beautiful acts of compassion by others wanting to help relieve the suffering. Suffering leads to a positive response from…
Surprised by Temptation’s Blind Spots
Traveling down the interstate, the time had come to change lanes. Slower traffic in the right lane was trying patience and lowering gas mileage. The rear view mirror appeared to signal all was clear for switching to the faster-paced left lane. A slight nudge toward the left lane preceded a glance into the driver’s side…
A Portion of a Second Helping
Almost the entire portion of cooking was performed by my grandmother when I was growing up. Grandma was a terrific cook. She had learned to cook from her mother. There were no recipes written down, although she tried to fill out recipe cards on occasion. A smidgeon here. A dash of that. Bake until done.…
Fish, Fridays and the Frivolous
We recently cleaned out a storage bin that we had rented for over a decade, hoping to save a little money each month. It didn’t take long to realize the boxes were filled with the frivolous. We opened every container, browsing through Legos and Ninja Turtles, Barbies and My Little Ponies, and McDonald’s toys and…