The preacher was telling the story of the plight of those in biblical times who suffered from leprosy. They were social outcasts and had to live in leper colonies and if they ventured out, they had to call before them to warn all around the "Unclean! Unclean!" You see...
Sometimes, I hate Facebook! OK, what I really hate is being misunderstood and then I have to scramble to be understood and end up making things worse! Ugh! It seems the harder I try the worse it gets. Do you know what I mean? Have you ever, with the best...
Here's a quote to ponder today: "He who desires to worship God must harbor no childish illusions about the matter but bravely renounce his liberty and humanity." This comes from a Russian anarchist named Mikhail Bakunin who died in 1876. But does the worship of God require a renunciation...
Ah, summertime! The season of vacations, a more relaxed pace of life, adventures, and warm weather. "Summertime, and the livin' is easy...." Summertime is such a wonderful time of year. But our society is one in which most Americans take little to no vacation time. The drive to produce creates...
The word "asceticism" is something of a mystery to our modern way of life. We have lived with such plenty and such amazing comfort and ease for so long that now we assume that all of life is meant to be pain (and even effort) free. Just consider our...
They say Jealousy is the "green eyed monster." What a powerful image! And it comes (as so many of our allusions in English) from Shakespeare. In his play "Othello" Iago warns Othello "O! beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it...
They say timing is everything! And, most of my life has proven that this is true. I can't tell you how many times I've either jumped too early or waited too late on actions both small and great (A little poetry for you today!). And the very concept of time...
One of the greatest practical jokes ever played on me was when some friends actually hid my car from me while I was at work. As a teenage boy, my car was my ticket to freedom. It represented my passage from a child to a man! Besides, I looked...
Have you ever thought about all those people Jesus healed during His ministry here on earth? They were so happy, grateful, and changed. In some cases (the illness of leprosy) they were now free to rejoin society, be reunited with their families, and finally get their life back. They...
"Hate" is such an ugly word. And yet I use it all too often. "I hate this traffic." "I hate coconut!" ( I really don't like coconut. I think it's the texture.) "I hate that music." You get the idea. But, sometimes, dark times, weak times I have even...
