Midsummer brought the start of our Sunday morning walk of faith through the Ten Commandments. At every step of the way, my unwavering encouragement has been simple: You must view the Commandments through the lens of Jesus. That means you read God’s Law with eyes of love, and you embody God’s Law with a heartContinue reading “First and Greatest: How to Live Your Best Life Ever”
Tag Archives: Ten Commandments sermon
Another Day in Paradise
Technically speaking, God’s Tenth Word tackles coveting. “Thou shall not covet” your neighbor’s house, or your neighbor’s spouse. Not another’s servants or hired help. Not a donkey or an ox – or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. Or a friend, and even a stranger. Just so we’re all on the same page, toContinue reading “Another Day in Paradise”
Speaking in God’s Sted (Take It Easy, Pinocchio)
Among the many, many descriptors assigned to God, you likely would be surprised to see “risk-taker” on the list. The Lord God definitely rolls the dice when he, in our Creation, gives humans the ability to speak and the power of speech. God well knew then what we’re only just now beginning to grasp: WordsContinue reading “Speaking in God’s Sted (Take It Easy, Pinocchio)”
Meet My Friend Jeff
When you do more than scratch its surface, you discover a treasure-trove of faithful living concealed deep under the weight of the Eighth Commandment’s thunderous prohibition against theft. As I suggested last Sunday, the Spirit through the Eighth Word compels hard questions – pondering and wondering if people richly blessed with lots of money, mostContinue reading “Meet My Friend Jeff”
Sticky Fingers
Over our two months of exploration, a couple major attractions should be overshadowing our walking tour of the Ten Commandments. What I hope first captures your attention are the positive aspects of the Commandments – the holy attitudes and loving behaviors that the Lord prefers and encourages. Those Words of Life, first given to MosesContinue reading “Sticky Fingers”
Wrestling with Erotic Energy
Moses should have asked for more. As he stood high atop Mount Sinai, dutifully noting Yah-Weh’s directives for faith and life, Moses should have asked the Lord for some more details about No. 7: “You shall not commit adultery.” Five words, period. End of sentence. And down the list the Lord moves on. A fewContinue reading “Wrestling with Erotic Energy”
Too Few Are Noticing
A death with dignity and compassion it was not. Those pieces still recognizable as a cricket lay bottom side up. The missing parts, presumedly, composed the linear slick of black goo scuffing the gray floor, on the shoulder of the steel-blue track at the Wellness Center. Passers-by the deathly scene included countless walkers and runners,Continue reading “Too Few Are Noticing”
Multitasking: Really, just stop it!
Earlier this year, the writer Oliver Berkman teetered on the brink of feeling overwhelmed by life – its responsibilities, its expectations, its demands. Inflicting the emotional low blow was the ambient anxiety that comes as a standard feature of life these days. So, in an effort to restore some measure of his sanity, Mr.Continue reading “Multitasking: Really, just stop it!”
Honor Your Parents
A lunchroom filled with schoolchildren raises the curtain on a familiar cast of characters. Perhaps most immediately: The Spillers and Wasters, the Yellers and Screamers, the Wigglers and the Jigglers – each as equally aggravating as the next, but nevertheless shaped and sized uniquely in the image of the God who made them. Continue reading “Honor Your Parents”
Keep the Lord’s Day Special
If you fancy yourself a would-be author, let me suggest a topic for a definite New York Times best-seller. You’ll be working the crowded neighborhood at the intersection of Self-help Street and Spirituality Avenue. Your topic is flung far afield across disciplines – the healing arts, physical and natural sciences, psychology and sociology. YourContinue reading “Keep the Lord’s Day Special”