church

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The ever-changing church

When I was 14, usher wasn’t the name of a famous R&B artist, it was the job title of someone who walked people to their seats at an event and/or greeted people with bulletins (programs) and passed offering plates at churches to help collect the weekly donations. It was a job reserved for adults who knew what they were doing, and could be trusted with the money and responsible for all the things that came with the job. For MANY…

The fear of the Lord

It’s something I’ll never forget. The only time I have ever seen my step-dad actually angry. Like raised his voice, and most likely his blood pressure angry. Like stopped me dead in my tracks and made me reconsider all of my life’s goals and dreams angry. Like, I’ve known the man going on 31 years and it’s never going to happen again I am sure, angry. And let’s just say it wasn’t caused by something you’d expect.  My brother and…

the WHOLE story

When I was growing up, I went to this thing called Sunday School. I was always a little put out about the name, as the content had absolutely nothing to do with the actual day of the week. We didn’t call the school I was attending each day of the week “Weekday school” - and so I thought it was a silly idea to call something Sunday school if we weren’t going to talk about Sundays at all. I’m crazy,…

My people

I’ve been going to church for as long as I can remember. In fact, for the first twenty-some years of my life, I went to the SAME church almost every week. People growing up now might find that strange, but that’s the way it used to be. My parents brought my brother and I, and sure it was true that we basically didn’t have a choice, but I can honestly tell you - I can’t remember a single time I…

Palm Sunday

It was quite an entrance. I mean I have always dreamed of riding into the big city on a baby donkey, haven't you? Then there were the palms. Branches and cloaks spread out for Him to ride over. Not quite a red carpet, but I guess it would have to do. The shouts of the people ‘Hosanna!’, ’Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’, ‘Hosanna in the highest!’ The crowd lining the streets, His closest friends…

Come, follow me

Jesus was an interesting dude. He was in fact; God in human form, sent here to show us a walking, talking example of what God is like. And yet, he didn’t do the things that you would expect God to do. Most people would expect a holy, righteous and perfect God to want to hang out with people who had their acts together. Yet Jesus spent the majority of his time hanging out with sinners and outcasts. It would be…

Shine

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. (Luke 2:16-18 ESV) But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ…

even so, come

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you…

Silence

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2,ESV) How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest…