Except for about three years of my life, I have lived in the land of four seasons.
Reaching way back to my earliest years, I can remember how everyone seemed to look forward to this time of year. It meant being outside, doing all sorts of activities that were impossible or very difficult to do during the frozen days of winter: going without a coat,
It’s just my 2¢. It is one of those deceptive phrases. Two cents is not much money but whenever I hear someone “add their 2¢” it is always something that they value more than a couple copper coins! So it was when the widow contributed her 2¢, the gift was significant beyond its monetary value.
Jesus was more than a little critical of some of those who were the active church attenders of his day,
I was recently chatting with an old friend. We both have adult children and we both are old enough to see ourselves playing out in the lives of our offspring. The vantage point of a parent is fascinating. There was a time when I was a parent in function, now I am a parent in fact. The work of parenting is pretty much over and I am left to mostly observe.
God helps those who help themselves
“God helps those who help themselves.” It sounds like it is from the Bible but the truth is, it is not. Sometimes we think we have God figured out but most often find God to be different than we expect. Jesus just finished telling the disciples that suffering, death, and resurrection were in the future. This was probably not what they were expecting but it also was not the first time they heard it either.
There is an expression that I think most people, parents in particular, know pretty well: to be “caught in a lie.” You know the scenario: someone is speaking and most often without even realizing it, does or says something that makes it clear that they have just lied. If you are a parent and this is your child, you meter out the punishment and hope to influence your child’s developing values.
Mark 10:35-45