I make an assumption that there are an awful lot of folks within the Family of God that remain unable, unwilling, or at a minimum reluctant to reveal their true selves to the rest of The Family. There could be many reasons for this, but what about the person who stays “shut down” for fear of rejection or being judged? I make this assumption because generally speaking, Jesus’ followers (I’m one of them) have a reputation (deserved or not) for lacking compassion and patience. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ~ 1 John 4:7…

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~ Romans 12:2 ~ And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.” ~ Matthew 24:4 ~ In Biblical times, Jesus influenced and radically transformed the way His followers conducted their lives. He created the climate and set the temperature. He dictated parameters and priorities. He instigated a revolutionary way of thinking and being. Nothing was the same after He showed up. He was counter-culture, counter-religion… He flipped so many things right-side-up; things nobody…

The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes! ~Psalm 119:64~ I’ve been mulling over Truth in Love that posted a few weeks ago, about what it means to hold love in one hand and truth in the other. The love of God leads, and truth follows as the Spirit leads. I’ve been letting that thought percolate. Context: Several times every day, I encounter a person or find myself in a situation where one of a handful of VERY volatile topics surface. It’s the presidential election, or Wall Street, or PPH/abortion, or marriage and how it’s defined. It’s the LGBT conversation or border-control or racial…

In a season when I’m daily offered multiple invitations to pass judgment about all manner of things and upon all manner of people, these words from the archives are a good reminder that I be a woman quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. The Lord does not see as man sees… ~I Samuel 16:7~ A few years back, I drove past a terrible car accident, arriving just after it happened. My husband and I prayed through those moments, shaken by the violent nature of what we saw. In the days that followed, I got to thinking about the ability the many victims would have to fully understand what…

I sometimes find myself on one or the other end of the “truth in love” scale. Jesus never did. It didn’t matter if He was talking to an outcast, a politician, a cheat, a prostitute or one of many kinds of marginalized people of His day, He connected with the person at a heart level, a mile below the surface of their outward “stuff.” Did He end up speaking into their stuff? Yes, but it never came at the expense of diminishing their inherent worth. He NEVER de-valued the person. Jesus leads with love, not to coerce or manipulate, but because He truly loved. That happens to be THE most…

We, The Church, are Family. We treat each other AS FAMILY. We reach beyond our borders and we love others AS IF they were family. This is the love of Jesus in action, a love we’re commanded to extend. ~ And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. A teacher I listen to often spends the 1st half of his teaching providing background and context for the point he will eventually make. He encourages his listeners to endure because “relevance is coming.” Bare with me as I bring you along a train of thought that led me to a simple point having to…