“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Good and right prayer asks for the Kingdom of God to come, for God’s will to be done, and (perhaps most importantly) that God’s will be done on earth. This is the linchpin of the Lord’s Prayer. It sets the context for the […]
Tag: Faith
On Our Father
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” The opening of the Lord’s Prayer. Good and right prayer begins with focus towards the Divine (our Heavenly Father), adoration of His Holy Name, and a reminder to ourselves that He is Holy. Now, in some churches there is discussion about using the term “Father” when referring to God. […]
On Thoughts and Prayers
There is a lot of talk about “thoughts and prayers” these days. In the wake of tragedies some say they are sending prayers, and others deride those comments as shallow without action. Both sides have some merit to their statements. The eternal truth is that prayer itself is an action. Furthermore, prayer can provide proper […]
On Marveling
Our modern society is information driven. We seek out facts, desiring to know the answers to everything. We rarely step back and simply marvel. In the Gospel narratives, those encountering Jesus frequently find themselves in wonder when they hear Jesus’ teachings or see His actions. Different translations have used different words for this: astounded, amazed, […]
On Sin and Grace
Jesus re-defined the Ten Commandments, saying “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:34-40) In effect, He also re-defined sin. We can now diagnose sin simply, like this: Sin is when we do not […]
On Jesus (part three)
When we strip Jesus of His authority (see yesterday’s post) we inadvertently also strip away His dual humanity and divinity. Yet, it is the most controversial and key claim that Christ-followers make: Jesus the Christ is both Savior and Lord. When we say He is our Savior, we affirm His full humanity and when we say […]
On Scripture (part three)
Like most things in life, simply starting is the hardest part. When you think about starting a diet or something like that you could spend hours looking up what to do and what options you have. The hours turn in to days, and the days turn in to weeks. And you make no progress. The […]
On Scripture (part two)
The Bible was not printed in the common language when the Reformation began 500 years ago. And when it started becoming available, people realized their hunger for the Word. Today access is abundant, but for many the Bible seems unnecessary, outdated, and irrelevant. For others, Scripture is lifted up higher than God Himself, and it […]
On Scripture (part one)
If we look at the Reformation and conclude “it was merely the result of years of societal injustices that eventually lead to a tipping point”, then we are not looking at the entire picture. What happened in 1517, and the surrounding years, was the result of what had happened to Scripture. At the time, the […]
On Tension
Up to this point there has been an undercurrent theme in these posts. We could call that theme “tension” (other words like “balance” or “discernment” could also be used). Understanding that rooted and fruitful faith means living a life of tension sets the stage for future reflections on this blog. When we embrace tension (both […]
Relevant Reformation 