... in very tangible form. We need to “embody” the change that our minds and hearts desire in order to help make it real for us. But sometimes, we can get stuck in old places, and like leaving the oil in your car season after season, we can start to feel sludgy, and tired. And yet, some of us find it hard to make that “seasonal” change. Our hopes and our dreams that once thrilled us and propelled us forward can start instead to weigh us down and slow us up, prevent us from moving forward into the kinds ...
... . He said to himself, “What a terrible son I am! I have caused my dad great pain.” It seemed that was all he could remember after his fathers death—the pain he caused his dad. Finally, the young boy went to see his pastor and told him about the deep feelings of guilt and about breaking his dad’s thumb. The young boy… well, let me tell you in the boy’s own words, he said: I’ll never forget how my pastor handled that. He was so great. He came around the desk with tears in his eyes. He sat ...
... physical eyes, our spiritual eyes can become complacent. Our aging eyes can become fuzzy and single focused. We can get used to the way we see the world and not even notice that our vision is failing us. We can get used to the way things look and feel in our world and in our lives and relationships and fail to notice when we are missing things in our line of vision. When we adjust our lens by reading the scriptures, by allowing the scriptures to test our way of seeing, we can bring Jesus into focus again ...
... there with them. Our discipleship relationship with Jesus is much like the relationships we have with others. It’s a love dance, a very special love dance. When we can’t see Jesus, we can’t touch him, we can’t know physically that he is there, still we can feel the Holy Spirit with us, we can trust that Jesus is merely away for a time, preparing a place, a space for us to be with him in close proximity when the right time comes. In the meantime, we share our love of Jesus with the ones we are close ...
... to look at what God has done, and to declare therefore joy and praise to God, not in hiding, not in secret, not according to whom you are with or where you are, not just in the Temple, not just in synagogue or church, not just when things feel safe or convenient or optimal, but in every time and place with a raised voice “out loud!” Because “out loud” is the authentic response to being in love with God, to recognizing God’s intervention in your life, to honoring your commitment to the One True God ...
... in our words and actions and attitudes God’s remedy that is good for what ails the world. Where there is brokenness, we will bring reconciliation through the amazing power of the forgiveness of sins, revealed at the cross of Christ. When people feel excluded and ostracized, we will bring the cleansing touch of inclusion and welcome in Jesus’ name. Where life is overshadowed by the fear of death, we will bring hope by proclaiming Christ’s resurrection. Wherever we find evil at work, whether at home ...
... Jesus’ eyes inevitably leads to acts of love and compassion. Seeing the world through Jesus’ eyes involves us giving up some of our own rights and comforts and possessions to meet the needs of others. We may feel that we don’t have enough resources to make a dent in something we feel compassionate about. But it’s amazing what can happen when Jesus gets involved. The crowd that day numbered close to ten thousand people. And Jesus told his disciples, “You give them something to eat.” The disciples ...
... a decision about how seriously we take the call to follow Jesus. We decide to wait until we’re older. We’ll wait until we have kids. We’ll wait until we get our heads straight. We’ll wait until we’re not so busy. We’ll wait until we feel a little more worthy, or until we get our spiritual act together or until this storm passes. That’s when we’ll make a decision about Jesus. When things aren’t so crazy. Here’s the problem: there will always be storms. No matter what your friends post on ...
... carved niches filled with small statues of the various gods worshiped there, gods like Hermes and Echo. The region was also full of pagan religious sites, many devoted to the god Pan. Pan was the half-man, half-goat god who had the ability to create a feeling of sudden and overwhelming fear in humans. It is from his name that we get the English word panic. (2) Put yourself in the disciples’ shoes. Jesus has led you to a place that makes you very uncomfortable. Having been raised in the Jewish faith which ...
When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion.
The finest works of art are precious, among other reasons, because they make it possible for us to know, if only imperfectly and for a little while, what it actually feels like to think subtly and feel nobly.
Human relations are built on feeling, not on reason or knowledge. And feeling is not an exact science like all spiritual qualities, it has the vagueness of greatness about it.
It's the movies that have really been running things in America ever since they were invented. They show you what to do, how to do it, when to do it, how to feel about it, and how to look how you feel about it.
If only the strength of the love that people feel when it is reciprocated could be as intense and obsessive as the love we feel when it is not, then marriages would be truly made in heaven.
The human race has been set up. Someone, somewhere, is playing a practical joke on us. Apparently, women need to feel loved to have sex. Men need to have sex to feel loved. How do we ever get started?
Think about the comfortable feeling you have as you open your front door. That's but a hint of what we'll feel some day on arriving at the place our Father has lovingly and personally prepared for us in heaven. We will finally - and permanently - be 'at home' in a way that defies description.
I've never felt like I was in the cookie business. I've always been in a feel good feeling business. My job is to sell joy. My job is to sell happiness. My job is to sell an experience.