Peacemakers in a world at war

A neighbor who knew I had money came to me one day with a plea: his mother was sick, needed medicine, and he was broke. Could I lend him $200? He would pay it back in a week, he said, but today he was strapped for cash and his mother needed help.I had some reasons to think he was probably ... Continue reading

Who influences us?

One day soon after [healing a man] Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. —Luke 6:12-13 (NLT)Right from the start, Jesus attracted a lot of attention. He said provocative ... Continue reading

Is the Sabbath just about resting?

On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to ... Continue reading

Question authority

"Do not be scared by the word authority. Believing things on authority only means believing them because you have been told them by someone you think trustworthy. I believe there is such a place as New York. I have not seen it myself. I could not prove by abstract reasoning that there must be such a ... Continue reading

Clothed in love

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, ... Continue reading

Deadly ambition

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they ... Continue reading

Should we have children?

“The decision to have children has always struck me as an essentially selfish one: You choose, out of a desire for fulfillment or self-betterment or curiosity or boredom or baby-mania or peer pressure, to bring a new human into this world. And it has never seemed more selfish than today. From a ... Continue reading

From despair to hope

The actor Jim Carrey, 53, and Cathriona White, 28, were on and off lovers in the modern way of things. They apparently started up their relationship again in May, only to separate again in the last few weeks. This time, the breakup seems to have been too much for White, who committed suicide, ... Continue reading