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Scharf: The good power of God
Last month, my congregation (Abiding Grace) celebrated our 10th anniversary. And there is plenty to celebrate. In 10 years, we've grown in people, in facilities, in opportunities to serve our community and spread the word around the world - in so many different ways. Things are rocking at Abiding Grace. So, looking at that, we must be doing something right, right?
Just a Thought
We spend billions of dollars as a nation every year on physical health and fitness.
The power of a name
Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. "Dear woman, why are you crying?" the angels asked her. "Because they have taken away my Lord," she replied, "And I don't know where they have put him." She turned to leave ...
From tears to triumph
I'll admit it. I am a big college basketball fan, which means I'm loving life right here in the middle of March Madness.
McCoy: A plan and a purpose
At that hour, Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day, I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Scharf: Death, on purpose
Today is Good Friday. The name seems like a misnomer when you consider that it marks the day of an execution - three in fact.
Archive By Section - Columnists
Grace Notes: What will you do with the promise?
What if George Washington had lost? Would you still know his name, or would Benedict Arnold be the guy that all the third grade history projects are on?
Time to stop underhanded ways
Do you remember your first Led Zepplin album? Their first album had a song on it, "Your Time is Gonna Come," that had the line: "Lying, cheating, hurting, that's all you seem to do." I thought of that line when Wikileaks released the "cablegate" documents. The stash of diplomatic cables shows the United States or rather its diplomats, have been lying, cheating and hurting for at least the last 40-plus years. ...
Grace Notes: Repent! It’s a good thing!
Everyone knows that there's no surer way to make friends than going around telling people they are wrong, right? OK, I know you're wiser than that: People hate to hear that they are wrong. They fire back with insults, accusations, rationale and everything else to avoid the dagger of those words. We don't like to hear that we are wrong, but that's the message John the Baptist was screaming in our section of ...
About Faith: The Christmas paradox
Christmas is a time when we celebrate the paradoxical story of God becoming a human being. It is a story which upends most of the world's history of approaching God. While other religions usually attempt to span that unfathomable gap between God and humanity by human effort, Christianity claims that God solved the problem by becoming one of us.
Grace Notes: See Christ the King
The section of God's Word we're looking at today is Luke 23:35-43. It's the story of Christ on the cross. That might seem like an odd section of Scripture to be looking at at this time of the year, but it's chosen because here at the end of the church year, we have this Sunday called "Christ the King" Sunday. And this text with Jesus on the cross is all about Christ being our King.
About Faith: Favorite things
There's a scene in the movie version of "The Sound of Music" when Sister Maria (Julie Andrews) led the Von Trapp kids in singing "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things." There were no iPods or Wii's to chase away their fright that stormy night. Instead, they dreamed of snowflakes on their eyelashes, and warm woolen mittens.
Grace Notes - Give thanks
A few years ago Garth Brooks released a song thanking God for unanswered prayers. The gist of the song was that he was thankful that he didn't always get what he asked for because that meant God had something better in store for him.
About Faith - Wake up!
For those who do not follow the liturgical Christian year, it may seem strange to think of this Sunday as the beginning of a new year. The notion that a new year is upon us may not seem right when leftover Thanksgiving turkey is still in the fridge. But for those attuned to such things, this Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is relevant not only to those who celebrate Christmas ...
Little things matter most
This is an opportune time of year to take stock of our blessings. Actually, every day should be a time of thanksgiving, but it seems we are too busy being too busy to appreciate just how blessed we are. Maybe -just maybe - we tend to look at our world upside down. The things that we think are important may not as critical as we imagine. Those things that seem trivial ...
About Faith: Alka-Seltzer and other Thanksgiving Traditions
Thanksgiving, for all its joy and stress, is a time of tradition. Every family I know can name five or six traditions they follow every year without fail. Some have little to do with the official day of giving thanks declared by Abraham Lincoln, but they have everything to do with forming memories that give us a sense of family and community.
About Faith: Going All In
In high-stakes poker, there usually comes a time when one player has an advantage over the others and declares, "All in," meaning he is betting everything he has. This forces other players to put up their fortunes, or fold.
Grace Notes: You’ve Been Marked
War leaves a mark. Yesterday, on Veterans Day, we honored those who have that mark from physical war. But even more serious is the ultimate battle we are all in, a spiritual battle against sin. And on this Sunday in the Church Year (Last Judgment Sunday) we talk about its end.
Grace Notes: To seek and to save the lost
Who do you love? Who are you willing to go out of your way for, to sacrifice for, the people from whom you want to hear the honest answer to "How are you?" Chances are the number of people on that list is pretty slim. Usually, we love (really love) the people who love us, or who are good to us, or who do something for us. God has a different ...
Grace Notes: Trick or Treat
"Trick or Treat." Are you ready to hear it? Chances are, you'll hear it a few times this weekend. This is the one time a year that when someone asks a child, "What do you say?" the correct answer is not "Please" or "Thank you!"
About Faith: Greed: an engine or a fire?
In 1987, the movie "Wall Street" debuted, bringing American avarice to the front of our collective consciousness.
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