Articles for tag: Peace

Meditating on Love: January 1

By Becky Ahlberg Friday, January 1, 2016 Read Hebrews 1:1-3.Â This passage brings the story of the incarnation full circle. We have come through another year to remember Jesus” birth with calls to hope, peace, joy, and love. I hope your Christmas celebration was meaningful. And now as you head into the new year, clean up the leftovers, return gifts, and put away the decorations, never forget that his coming, though a gift to you, was a sacrifice for him. I pray that the depth of that sacrifice moves you beyond the quaint story of a manger and hay. Never

December 17, 2015

Meditating on Peace: December 17

By Becky Ahlberg Thursday, December 17 Read and memorize Isaiah 26:3.Â A steadfast mind is a key ingredient of peace. Here are a few synonyms for steadfast: unwavering, unfaltering, resolute, committed, dedicated, unswerving. So, if I read this right, finding peace is up to you and me! At Christmas, maybe more than at any other time, distractions abound. It”s easy to think running away or just canceling Christmas would eliminate the chaos of the season. But is all the busyness the problem, or is it a state of mind? What are you thinking about? What is capturing your attention these

December 15, 2015

Meditating on Peace: December 15

By Becky Ahlberg Tuesday, December 15 Read Matthew 1:18-25.Â Joseph is almost a mystery player in the Christmas story. We barely get to know him, and yet he may be the best example we have of someone who put his trust fully in the Lord. He would have had to. In the midst of the shame culture of that day, the events that unfolded with his betrothed Mary would have been excruciating. Another angel said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife” (v. 20). In the movie The Nativity Story, there is a poignant scene in

November 1, 2015

New Baby, New Life, New Year (27 Daily Devotions)

For many, especially church leaders, Christmas is more chaos than celebration. We need to refocus on what is important, and these 27 short meditations are written to help us do that. Take a few minutes each day to ponder these thoughts designed to help you find the wonder of the incarnation in the midst of your responsibilities. These daily meditations, written by Becky Ahlberg of Anaheim, California, begin on Sunday, December 6, and conclude on January 1, 2016. The four weekly themes center around the concepts of hope, peace, joy, and love. May your holidays be blessed as you celebrate

August 12, 2015

Culture & Public Square Justice

Armed and Dangerous

By Jim Tune A few years ago, a Seeds of Compassion event in Seattle, Washington, was organized around the visit of the Dalai Lama. One of the highlights was a joint speech by the Dalai Lama and South African bishop Desmond Tutu. Both men have committed their lives to peace and nonviolence. Their humanitarian work has saved lives and made the world a safer place. Both men espouse the value of enemy love. Both are committed to the call to love their enemies just as they would love their friends. They have lived out this commitment in ways most of

July 22, 2015

Care & Counseling Grief & Suffering

Sweet Sorrow

By Jim Tune One of my favorite books (and I like the movie, too) is the classic The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Czech writer Milan Kundera. In his book, the heroine, Teresa, struggles to be at peace with life when it”s not heavy, when it”s too much lightness, sunshine, and seemingly carefree””when it”s devoid of the anxieties that hint at darkness and mortality. She feels the constant need for gravitas, for some heaviness that says life is more than simply the present flourishing of health and comfort. For her, lightness equals superficiality. Most of us prefer sunshine over shadow,

July 8, 2015

Baptism Theology & Bible

God Tastes Like Fire

By Jim Tune German Anabaptist teacher Hans Hut endured the heat of persecution when he refused to have his child baptized. He was arrested in 1527 during a meeting with other Anabaptist leaders in Augsburg, Germany. Hut was tortured horribly, and died of asphyxiation during a fire that consumed the Augsburg prison on December 6, 1527. The next day, the authorities sentenced his dead body to death and burned him. A man of deep convictions and reverence for God, Hut described the holiness of God: “God tastes like fire.” God appears as flame frequently in Scripture, consuming at one moment,

April 3, 2015

New Testament Theology & Bible

Peace Commission

By Robert F. Hull Jr. According to the Gospel of John, it was at his last meal with the disciples that Jesus offered them the gift of his peace and told them not to be afraid (John 14:27). But that was before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. A few days later they were huddled in a room with the door locked, very much afraid and not at peace. Suddenly the risen Jesus stood before them and said to them, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). He showed them his hands and his side, and said again, “Peace be with you!

December 23, 2014

A Promise for More Than the Shepherds

By Mark A. Taylor It was a golden moment. We were touring the magnificent Christmas displays at Longwood Gardens, a 1,000-plus-acre delight not far from Philadelphia in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Tucked in one corner of the Gardens” many-roomed, 4.5-acre conservatory is a majestic 10,010 pipe organ, a centerpiece for hourly Christmas carol sing-alongs throughout the day we were there. In spite of the instrument”s ability to fill the room with its own volume (and rumbling bass notes we could feel as well as hear), voices soared and surrounded us as we sang the carols together. And one of them””certainly not

July 8, 2014

My Only Hope

By Jim Tune When I read the Gospels, I encounter a Jesus who proclaims peace for the fringe dwellers. Indistinct and frequently offensive, they reached for his cloak, cried out in desperation, or fell forward to make contact with real love. Convention would treat them as nonpersons, insisting they be kept barely visible and hidden behind a veil of shame. But Jesus was unconventional. Life”s losers sense this. They crash the party and find themselves not only accepted, but favored and blessed as well. With Jesus, they get the seats of honor. For someone with as many opportunities as I”ve

April 8, 2013

Family & Relationships

Bad Weather at Home

By Charity M. Walker-Byers and John M. Walker The black clouds of church conflict too often create bad weather at home, too. These “clouds” can cause problems that become all-consuming and overwhelming, influencing every aspect of life. When the church leader loses his or her ability to separate church life from home life, the “black cloud” can consume his or her emotions, relationships, attitude, perspective, and all other aspects of human experience. When that happens, the home becomes a battleground and a source of unhappiness instead of a safe haven, a storm center instead of a safe harbor offering rejuvenation

September 7, 2012

Despite?

By Jackina Stark Mama died on July 4, 2011. We almost lost her earlier that year when she went to the hospital with pneumonia. Her doctor told us pneumonia isn”t called the old person”s friend for nothing, but she was treated and released to a nursing home, where she could get rehabilitation. That didn”t go well. She had spent too many years trying to breathe, and she was tired of it. We brought her home, and almost daily she told Dad, who took such loving care of her, that she couldn”t do it anymore. Even walking across a room was

December 17, 2008

Christmas and the Promise of Peace

Mark A. Taylor reflects on Bethany beyond the Jordan, the fragile peace of treaties, and the deeper peace Christ gives to troubled hearts at Christmas.

December 19, 2007

The Price of War, the Promise of Peace

As war’s toll weighs heavily, this Christmas reflection considers peace through the stories of a former child soldier and an Army chaplain, then points to Jesus’ promise: “I have overcome the world.”

December 20, 2006