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"When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their ...
Keep ReadingWhen they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life" (Acts 11:18). I have a friend, I'll call her Jane, who is an atheist. She is a committed follower and goes to weekly atheist meetings and "game nights" in Raleigh. She likes the open atmosphere of support and non-judgement...
Keep ReadingActs 11:1-4, 15-18,Galatians 2:11-14 Once upon a time, in a church far, far away there was a kitchen committee. The power and duties of the kitchen committee were taken very seriously by each member, and the committee made it known they weren't keen on taking outside direction. It was rarely given, because to cross the kitchen committee meant certain social deathand every...
Keep ReadingBut when certain men arrived, Peter drew backand began to separate himself from the Gentiles(Galatians 2:12). Years ago, when one particular woman in my bridge club befriended me above others, I felt special about moving with the "in crowd." But the closer this woman and I got, and the more time we spent together, I didn't like who I became. Her constant criticism of othe...
Keep ReadingSomeone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" (Luke 12:13-14). This week's passage kicks off with two unnamed brothers arguing about their inheritance (i.e., dad's money, possessions, assets). At that time, the first-born brother would receive a "doub...
Keep ReadingSpeaking to the people, he went on, "Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot." ... Just then God showed up and said, "Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goodswho gets it?" That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God (Luke 12: 15, 20, 21 MSG). What did you ...
Keep ReadingAnd Jesus told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought TO HIMSELF, 'What SHALL I DO? I have no place to store MY CROPS.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'LL DO. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store MY SURPLUSgrain. And I'll say TO MYSELF, "You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. ...
Keep ReadingThen he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;life does not consist in an abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15). I remember my first teaching job after college. It was my first time living on my own, paying my bills, and managing my money. My "saver" personality wanted to save as much as I could and not waste any money. But even though sa...
Keep ReadingThen Jesus said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;life does not consist in an abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15). Can having too much stuff be as harmful to our spiritual health as having too many pounds is to our physical health? Jesus says, "Yes, absolutely." As we enter the second week of our Inner Strength: Building a Resilient Co...
Keep Reading"My son," the father said, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours" (Luke 15: 31). For those of us who run, fall is often known as "Racing Season". Or, for the more ambitious, "Marathon Season". Preparing for fall races starts in the summer. Runners trade a little extra sleep for early morning long runs or prioritize the evening workout at night, instead o...
Keep ReadingThe Lost Sons Luke 15:11-32 I have two brothers, and I have two sons. Both sets of brothers share similar personalities, among other things, and quite often I'm taken aback by the sameness of it all! The older brothers are more flexible, the younger brothers more rigid. The older brothers are more relaxed, the younger brothers more passionate. The older brothers are rul...
Keep ReadingThe older brother became angry"Look! All these years I've been slaving for youYou never gave me [a party]!" (Luke 15:28-29) Our lives are, let's face it, performance-driven. In my career, the focus was to get another degree, teach a new literature course, be awarded another accolade - all to improve my standing to my department chair, get a bump in salary, and (I'll admit...
Keep ReadingBut he answered his father, "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!" (Luke 15:29-30) The world often teaches us a very different ...
Keep ReadingThe Parable of the Two Lost Sons (Luke 15:11-32) Hope everyone had (or is still having) a great summer and that you're looking forward to our Fall Kick-off this coming Sunday! Do any core-strengthening exercises? You know: planks, squats, push-ups, crunches, burpees, lunges. (We'll spare you any videos of us doing our core exercises!) From the Mayo Clinic's website: Yo...
Keep Reading"And since we now have a magnificent High Priest to welcome us intoGod's house, we come closer to God and approach him with an open heart,fully convinced that nothing will keep us at a distance from himNow we areclean, unstained, and presentable to God inside and out!"Hebrews 10:21,22 (The Passion Translation) (This second week of devotionals from the book of Hebrews was ...
Keep Reading"let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurancethat faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience"Hebrews 10:22 (This second week of devotionals from the book of Hebrews was originally published in March 2021 and aligned with the sermon series "Jesus, the Radiance of God's Glory.") From an early age as an earne...
Keep Reading"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are comingnot the realities themselves. Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart."Hebrews 10:1, 22a (This second week of devotionals from the book of Hebrews was originally published in March 2021 and aligned with the sermon series "Jesus, the Radiance of God's Glory.") Self-confidence is not something I've traditiona...
Keep Reading"But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after yearAnd when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices."Hebrews 10:3,18 (NLT) (This second week of devotionals from the book of Hebrews was originally published in March 2021 and aligned with the sermon series "Jesus, the Radiance of God's Glory.") I love a good li...
Keep Reading"But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God Jesus is the new and living way opened for us."Hebrews 10:12, 20 (This second week of devotionals from the book of Hebrews was originally published in March 2021 and aligned with the sermon series "Jesus, the Radiance of God's Glory.") Recall a tradition yo...
Keep Reading"Jesus shared in their humanity."Hebrews 2:14 (This week's devotionals, originally published in March 2021, aligned with the sermon series "Jesus, the Radiance of God's Glory" with scriptures from the book of Hebrews.) Anyone who studies Greek and Roman mythology learns "deities" frequently deigned to come down to earth from Mt. Olympus. Those trips were almost always se...
Keep Reading"We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard,so that we do not drift away how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation."Hebrews 2:1-3 (This week's devotionals, originally published in March 2021, aligned with the sermon series "Jesus, the Radiance of God's Glory" with scriptures from the book of Hebrews.) We got a new car about a year...
Keep Reading"In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God,for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of theirsalvation perfect through what he suffered."Hebrews 2:10 (This week's devotionals, originally published in March 2021, aligned with the sermon series "Jesus, the Radiance of God's Glory" with scriptures from the book of Hebrew...
Keep Reading"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many timesand in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe." Hebrews 1:1-2 (This week's devotionals, originally published in March 2021, aligned with the sermon series "Jesus, the Radiance of God's Glor...
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