Non-Physical Violence How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:5b-6 In this series … Continue reading Non-Physical Violence
Category: meditation
Guns and Immaturity, Part 4
Guns and Immaturity, Part 4 Love God. Love neighbor. Love self. Love period. Rev. Jacqui Lewis[1] Because we are inseparably interconnected with all beings, we cannot mature into our truest nature without first accepting others as possessing equal value and equally deserving of the respect we desire for ourselves. When Jesus told us to love … Continue reading Guns and Immaturity, Part 4
Guns and Immaturity, Part 3
Guns and Immaturity, Part 3 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother … and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me… Matthew 10:35-37 We know that social media sites use … Continue reading Guns and Immaturity, Part 3
Guns and Immaturity, Part 2
Guns and Immaturity, Part 2 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother … and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me… Matthew 10:35-37 Immaturity expresses in countless ways when it … Continue reading Guns and Immaturity, Part 2
Guns and Immaturity
Guns and Immaturity But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also. Matthew 5:39 Up to now in this series I have primarily focused on our desire to arm ourselves for purposes of self-defense – in order to incapacitate or kill … Continue reading Guns and Immaturity
Guns and Fear, Part 4
Guns and Fear, Part 4 Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay…And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability – and that it may take a very long … Continue reading Guns and Fear, Part 4
Guns and Fear, Part 3
Guns and Fear, Part 3 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 When I turned 18 I was required to register for the military draft – which forced young men into military service based on a randomized list of birthdates. The year I might have … Continue reading Guns and Fear, Part 3
Guns and Fear, Part 2
Guns and Fear, Part 2 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul… Matthew 10:28a I ended last week’s Life Note by saying there is a reason Jesus taught that we should be willing to give up our lives instead of committing violence against another. It is the same reason … Continue reading Guns and Fear, Part 2
Guns and Fear
Guns and Fear Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25 While gun ownership … Continue reading Guns and Fear
Guns, Mental Illness, and Jesus
Guns, Mental Illness, and Jesus Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Matthew 26:52 On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, an 18-year-old gunman walked into two adjoining Uvalde, Texas classrooms of fourth graders and murdered 19 students and two teachers … Continue reading Guns, Mental Illness, and Jesus
Contemplating Grace 