May 8 | The Story of the Poor Rich Man
This is one of the few parables where Jesus inserts “God” into a secular story. God called the man a fool (not an atheist but someone who has no moral compass). Death is a great wake-up call. . . .
Articles for tag: Matthew 6:2
January 17, 2021
Jan 24 | Consider the Birds
Jesus didn’t say a sparrow would never fall; he said they never fall without the Father’s awareness (Matthew 10:29). Jesus didn’t promise we would escape all hardship. He said whatever happens, he will be with us.
December 13, 2014
A Biblical View of Poverty
By Mark W. Hamilton A paradox confronting modern Western Christians is this: we who are rich serve a Lord who was poor. At the first Christmas, Jesus and his family did not hang their stockings by the chimney with care. Instead, they haunted stables and fled their home as refugees. Nor did things improve for the adult Jesus, who survived on the generosity of women who embraced his message of the kingdom. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor” (Luke 6:20); “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or your body, what you will wear” (Matthew
September 25, 2014
Caring for Creation
By Carol O’Casey Desperate times call for desperate measures””such as when esteemed evolutionary biologist Edward O. Wilson issued a call to churches to “join forces with science to save the planet.” In his book The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, Wilson pleads, “Pastor, we need your help. The Creation””living Nature””is in deep trouble.” Will we as a church heed the call to care for creation? I confess, as a biologist and a pastor”s wife, I”ve stood on the shores of indifference too long, afraid to wade into this hostile territory. But when God challenged me to enter
June 11, 2006
Seeing the Big Picture
By Larry Chouinard Does life ever feel like a series of disconnected scenes with no discernible plot, a mere random collection of episodes fragmented by one crisis after another? Is it only the tyranny of the particulars that scripts our lives? We seem driven by a series of episodes, like a weekly TV sitcom whose events are only loosely connected. Success in life seems determined by how well we are able to juggle the particulars and achieve some kind of rhythmic balance. But for some of us, as the particulars multiply (e.g., family, job, children, health issues, financial security), maintaining
