At a recent bedtime, I read Bulldozers (Mighty Machines) to our children as one of our stories. After reading, my son stood up and said excitedly, “One day, I going to drive the biggest bulldozer in the world!” I replied with a smile, “You sure could.” In those brief moments, I was struck at how wide the […]
Category: faith
I recently learned that Relaxation is a Skill. One of the ways to relax is to breathe deeply. Our son is 9 months old and it doesn’t do us much good to tell him to take a deep breathe. What we can do is to hold him close and breathe deeply. This helped me know […]
“Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you” (Zechariah 9:12, NIV). Of all the things that I could be prisoner to, I hope that I will always be a prisoner of hope.
As you celebrate Independence Day in the United States today, I invite you to remember. the words of Paul in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Live in the freedom of Jesus Christ.
I have heard these words from those who were officiating at Holy Communion, but for some reason had not realized that they were from scripture until recently. They are beautiful and true. “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread […]
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Why? Making Sense of God’s Will
This week, I read Why?: Making Sense of God’s Will by Adam Hamilton. In this short book, Hamilton addresses three questions of theodicy, God’s justice in the face of suffering, Why do the innocent suffer? Why do my prayers go unanswered? Why can’t I see God’s will for my life? He concludes with a few words about Why God’s […]
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The Difference between Belief and Practice
Paul is brought before the city leaders in Athens and preaches the good news of Jesus Christ. In response, “Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.” Acts 17:34 The text clearly states that […]
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Waze and Spiritual Growth
One of my new favorite iOS apps is Waze – Social GPS navigation, traffic & road reports (iTunes link). SocialTimes calls it Wikipedia for Drivers and You can also find out more at their website. What I love about this app is that it uses data from other users to help improve driving directions and […]
Today is All Saints Day. I wanted to share with you a little background from Wikipedia about All Saints: “In terms of Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. In the Roman Catholic Church, the next day, All Souls’ Day, specifically […]
“You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they “are rebellious.” —Ezekiel 2:7 Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.” –Ezekiel 3:11 “But when I speak to […]
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Calling in Your Life
The article, Does a Calling Have to Be Religious?, from the Huffington Post addresses something that has shaped my life – calling. For me it has primarily been God‘s call in my life and a call. Here is an excerpt from the article, that I just couldn’t break into pieces. “In 1904, Rainer Maria Rilke, writing […]
I have been inspired by Kevin Watson’s series of posts about the Methodist Class Meeting. It was part of what made the Methodist movement powerful. I have hoped to use the following series of posts as a guide for leading class meetings when I am the lead pastor at a church one day. The Methodist […]
Rev. Andrew Conard 