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Resolutions you can really use
‘It’s Personal!’
Most people forget their New Year’s Resolutions as soon as they break them. It’s too bad, because resolutions to be a better steward of your life really can help you. Here is some advice for how to keep them from getting stale or forgotten.
(By Overthehill, via Bigstockphoto.com. )
Slow-Cooker Spirituality
IT’S PERSONAL Blog When I lived in in Chicago, my neighbors cooked real barbecue. Not the “sloppy joes†that passes for “barbecue†in Pennsylvania (where I live), or the 15-minutes-on-the grill treatment that most of us do at backyard cookouts. I’m talking about nice cuts of meat barbecued s-l-o-w-l-y to tasty perfection. An African American […]
Holy Laughter
IT’S PERSONAL blog Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.†Psalm 126:2 A fellow Christian once told me that God had no sense of humor. “Nowhere,†he said sanctimoniously, “does the Bible record that the […]
Ordinary Time? How About ‘Miracle Time’ Instead?
“IT’S PERSONAL” BLOG Now that those sexy church seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost are behind us, we are now full into the plain vanilla liturgical straightaway known as “Ordinary Time.†What a crummy name for a church season. Can it get any worse? Yes! The liturgical color is green. What’s so […]
How to Stay Spiritually Healthy
‘IT’S PERSONAL’Â BLOG How are you meeting your spiritual needs? How are you nourishing your soul? As a pastor I ask these questions a lot, but especially to folks who seem stressed out, overly busy, burdened by everyday problems, or who seem to be drifting away from church. They are also good questions to keep […]
Enraptured!
“IT’S PERSONAL” Blog After a decade or more of resistance, I have finally surrendered to the theology of the Rapture. I’m certain the Rapture will take place in the not-too-distant future – probably before the end of President Palin’s second term. For those who have somehow missed the cultural juggernaut, Rapture theology holds that the […]
The prayerful pose
Press you hands together, palm-to-palm, finger-to-finger, thumb-to-thumb. Go ahead. Do it now, and hold it for a few seconds. Are you doing it? Not a very natural pose, is it? In fact, it feels kind of awkward, right? At least it does for me. The position forces your hands to straighten against their natural curvature. […]
What to do with more time than money? Cultivate Relationships
‘Just Living’ Blog
Like gardens, relationships bloom when well-tended. When you have the gift of more time than money, be sure you put that time to good use cultivating valued relationships with family, friends, and community.
How to Avoid Boring Worship
‘IT’S PERSONAL’ BLOG
In an age of scintillating entertainment available 24/seven in smaller and ever-more-accessible gadgets, you can understand why worship seems boring to some. While worship can be fun, inspiring and enjoyable, its entertainment value is really beside the point.
Make Mine Plain, Please
LECTIONARY REFLECTION – April 25
Oh my! How we long for everything in life to be made plain to us. Not very many people I know actually enjoy living in the tension of ambiguity and the unknown or unseen. Most folks prefer a world of clear blacks and whites to mottled grays and muddy waters. Unfortunately, we often like our theology like that, too