Beauty

“How do you explain beauty?” Charles Darwin, who believed not everything was a result of merciless natural selection said “A great number of male animals, as all our most gorgeous birds, some fishes, reptiles and mammals, and … magnificently colored butterflies have been rendered beautiful for beauty’s sake.” There is such an overabundance of beauty […]

Finding God

Dr. Joel Primack is an American astrophysicist who co-developed what’s called “the cold dark matter theory” (which seeks to understand the formation and structure of the universe). When asked about the alleged rift between science and religion, Primack said, “In the last few years astronomy has come together so that we’re now able to tell a […]

The Eye of the Beholder

The painting had sat unnoticed and passed over for years. It was dismissed. It was ignored. Nobody cared that it was beautiful because of its dubious history. For years it had been housed as part of a private collection in an estate in Scotland. Nobody cared about it because it was said to be a […]

Shepherding

British shepherds often take sheep and rams, one by one, and throw them into a dipping trough, a huge vat filled with an antiseptic liquid. The shepherd must completely submerge each animal, holding its ears, eyes, and nose under the surface. It is of course horribly frightening for the sheep. And if any of the […]

Benjamin Franklin was only able to afford school until he was 10 years old. At that time, his parents made him drop out. Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was four years old Bill Gates’ first company, Traf-O- failed miserably. When Gates and his partner, Paul Allen, tried to sell it, the product wouldn’t even […]

Enduring Love

This week we will delve into the concept of HESED, a Hebrew word that permeates the book of Ruth. Hesed can be translated a lot of different ways; steadfast love, lovingkindness, mercy, love, and kindness are all words used to describe this term. It’s very hard to pin down the concept in English. And while […]

In the Storm 2

Yesterday, we began talking about finding our way in the storm. The current crisis seems like a storm. A storm of media, a storm of anxiety, and a storm of fear. As we discussed yesterday, sometimes Jesus wants us in the storm. Sometimes the storm is where we are meant to be. In Mark 6, […]

In The Storm

I have to confess to you this morning. I have to confess an addiction. This week I have become addicted to “virus news.” It’s been on all the time. We’re watching the stammering press conferences of virologists that are not skilled at talking to cameras. We’re watching the newscasters and talking heads who are almost […]

Be Like Quilty

This week Channel 2 in Houston ran a story about Quilty, a 6-year-old cat at the Friends For Life Animal Rescue and Adoption Shelter who would not be contained. Quilty refused to be held in captivity. But not only that, he would free other cats in the shelter as well. “He has gotten out quite […]

THE WORK OF THE CHURCH

If you’ve been around for very long at all, you’ve heard me say “Prayer is the work of the Church.” That’s not a new idea with me. The church has always been about prayer. Immediately after the Lord’s death, the disciples prepare for the future by being “constantly in prayer” together (Acts 1:14). All church […]