My friend Jennifer writes today for the Des Moines Register. Few can tell a story the way this one does, and today is no exception.
Go let your heart be warmed, in a cold Iowa field of all places. Stop by her place on your way.
Again, a merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. Thank you for being a part of my life this past year.
Categories: Christmas
Tagged: Christmas
Micah — not that Micah — proved himself a resourceful fellow.
To put together a little homegrown, do-it-yourself worship he would need to stock the household shrine and procure himself a priest.
But he didn’t live in the Levite part of town. And the nearest house of God was, well, inconvenient. So he cobbled together his own house of little-g gods complete with carved images and cast idols, and installed his own son as a priest.
He had a stand-in for God, a stand-in for His house, a stand-in for a priest, and a stand-in for His people.
The writer of Judges punctuates the telling, reminding us that “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” (Judges 17:6)
Everyone did as he saw fit.
Micah thought he had it right.
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Categories: Accountability · Idolatry
Tagged: Accountability, Idolatry, isolation, Judges, Micah
My grandma would have had no idea what a blog is or what it means to guest post.
But earlier this evening, my mom dropped a gift in the comment box for my earlier post on my grandma. What she left there, really a gift from Grandma, begged for a little more attention than it might get tucked away in the comments.
So it seems Grandma has written a post for us without knowing it.
During her last few years here, Grandma had a harder time holding onto the day. She might struggle to remember who she was talking to. She would confuse dates, or times, or places. At times, what she said simply made no sense at all.
As Grandma began to drift away more and more during her visits, my aunt encouraged her back to the daylight by rehearsing her alphabet.
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Categories: family
Tagged: family, Grandma, memory
Is Anonymous Your First Name or Last Name?
2009/12/06 · 26 Comments
I looked up from my notes during our weekly staff meeting to read my pastor’s expression before I answered. Eyebrow up, head cocked a little as he leaned back in his chair behind the desk.
Swell.
Someone had called.
“We went to A&W,” I said. It wasn’t as though it were a secret. “A lot of families were out of town this week, so only three kids showed. We thought it would be a good night to take a walk to the drive-in and hang out. They got our full attention, and we got to know them a little better. We loved it.”
“I got a call saying some people are concerned about this kind of thing,” he explained. “Youth group happens in the youth room. Even if there’s only one kid. That’s where you do your Bible study.”
Who called? How many people are concerned? Which ones? And would it be okay to teach them to worship Satan as long as we did it in the youth room?
“I appreciate the concern,” I told him. “If someone else calls, be sure to remind them of my phone number.”
The next day, a friend called, pretending to wonder what the young people did on Sunday night. “Some people are concerned . . .”
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→ 26 CommentsCategories: Blogging · One Another
Tagged: admonishment, anonymous comments, Blogging, encouragement