Hope – Christians, God and the Coronavirus

Given everything that’s going on with COVID-19, especially so much misinformation or outright wrong information being put out by supposed Christians and political people that some (many?) Christians listen to, I decided to write some stuff that’s actually Biblically based.  Something for Christians to ground ourselves and not be misled. Something to remind us of

Trusting in God when you have cancer

But now I was diagnosed with cancer.  And my first instinct was not to run away.  Nor to get mad.  Instead, it was to run to God.  And trust Him that, no matter what happens, everything’s going to be OK.

Screwtape Letters – series updated

My Screwtape Letters series has been completely reformatted to provide full functionality on desktops, tablets and smart phones.  That includes the color-coded text to make it easier to differentiate various aspects of the pages, such as who is speaking, questions, suggested study areas, Etc. The ability to collapse / expand the discussion hints is also

Blessed are those who mourn

Blessed are those who mourn.  Oh yeah.  That’s a message we all want to hear.  Especially when it’s translated as “happy are those who are unhappy”.  But remember, this is Jesus.  Everything’s either upside down or backwards.  After all, Jesus is the one who said, Mt 20:16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”  So what else should we expect?

Blessed are the poor in spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit.  Seriously?  The poor in spirit are blessed?  That sounds so backwards!  It’s even more strange when it’s translated as happy are the poor in spirit!  It seems like it should be blessed are the rich in spirit.  And yet, that’s not what Jesus said.  So what did Jesus mean when He said what we now call the first of the Beatitudes?

Whoever loves God must also love his brother and sister. No exceptions.

Whoever loves God must also love his brother and sister.  That’s not from me.  It’s from 1 John 4:21.   And it’s a command from God.  Certainly, non-Christians might feel no obligation to obey it.  But if we’re Christian, it’s not a suggestion.

A note on happiness

Are we supposed to be happy?  It seems obvious to most people.  But what if you have depression? What if you’re Christian? Does don’t worry be happy apply?

Why does Christmas matter?

Honestly, those are the reasons we celebrate.  Not just because a cute cuddly baby was born.  But because that cute cuddly baby was God in human form, who came here to suffer and die for us.

The Sermon On The Mount – Introduction

I doubt that a huge number of people today would refer to Christianity as counter-cultural.  In fact, being in what’s called a post-Christian era, more people are likely to view Christianity as the old way – much like young people don’t use email, Facebook, and countless other “old” technologies.

The question is – why not?

Reopen mines that poison – is this what God meant by subdue the earth?

Reopen mines that poison – is this what God meant by subdue the earth?  The EPA does. Worse yet, this lake is used for swimming, fishing and drinking water.