[Adapted from yesterday’s message at The District Church: “Freedom.”] Freedom’s something we hear a lot about here in the US. America is, after all, “the land of the free.” The First Amendment of our Constitution grants us various freedoms, including the freedom of religion—and we are thankful for the freedom to worship that we have …
Great post over at Slacktivist on Matthew 18 and church discipline–“Jesus did not shun tax-collectors”, articulating the thoughts I’ve had every time I’ve read that passage. If this passage describes “church discipline,” then it doesn’t mean “church” the way we mean that word, and it doesn’t mean “discipline” the way we mean it either. And …
Starets Zosima, from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov: At some thoughts one stands perplexed, above all at the sight of human sin, and wonders whether to combat it by force or by humble love. Always decide ‘I will combat it by humble love.’ If you resolve on that once and for all, you can conquer the …
For some, Valentine’s Day is a day to treasure, a day to celebrate, a day to spend time and money on a loved one. For others, Valentine’s Day is a day to forget, a day to despise, “Singles Awareness Day.” For me, how I reacted to Valentine’s Day used to depend on my relationship status: …
Read more “My Valentine’s Day History, a.k.a. A Few Thoughts on Love”
Last night I finally got around to watching Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey. It came highly recommended by many of my friends, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ll admit that I’ve loved Elmo since I was a kid–at one point in middle school, I may have perfected Elmo’s voice … yeah, it absolutely got me all the girls. …