Contemplating Grace

Life Notes—December 8, 2011 “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the … Continue reading Proclamations of the Past

Life Notes—December 1, 2011“Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take … Continue reading Accepting Our Role

Life Notes—November 24, 2011 “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to … Continue reading A Season of Receiving

Life Notes—November 17, 2011 “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore do whatever they teach you and follow it, but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.  They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, … Continue reading Humble Greatness

Life Notes—November 10, 2011 “…therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.  He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the … Continue reading Creation Revisited, Part 5

Life Notes—November 3, 2011 “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree in the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’”  Genesis 2:16-17 The past few weeks we’ve … Continue reading Creation Revisited, Part 4

Life Notes—October 27, 2011 “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”  Genesis 2:24  Two weeks ago we discussed the implications of taking the Hebrew word that is translated “rib” in the creation story and translating it as “side.”  Thus, God’s first creation of … Continue reading Creation Revisited, Part 3

Life Notes—October 20, 2011 “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”  Genesis 1:27  Last week I hypothesized about the implications of taking the Hebrew word that is translated “rib” in the second creation story in Genesis and translating it as “side,” … Continue reading Creation Revisited, Part 2

Life Notes—October 13, 2011 “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.  Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”  Genesis 2:23-24  There are two … Continue reading Creation Revisited, Part 1

Life Notes—October 6, 2011 “And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.”   Exodus 32:14  It seems the political election cycle is a cycle no more.  Rather, before one campaign has ended, the next has begun.  The divisive charges and counter-charges fly back and forth year round.  … Continue reading A Divine Flip-Flop