[display_podcast] The Most Precious Gift The preciousness of a gift determines how carefully we handle it.  For example, as you dig through your stocking on Christmas morning, you may find candy and little knick-knacks and an apple or an orange.  But you won’t pay much attention to these gifts because they aren’t that precious to you.  You may even forget about them and purposefully leave them at grandma’s house because you don’t really want them.  Growing up, I’d dig to the bottom until I found the treasure of a [...]

[display_podcast] Catholic Crimes and Cover-Up One of the most heartbreaking stories in the news today is the abuse of thousands of boys and girls by Catholic priests.  As I read the grand jury report released this week concerning the decades of abuse in the dioceses of Pennsylvania, I cried and prayed and was angry and cried some more.  The depth of depravity present among those who claim to represent God while taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us is immeasurable.  The audacity of the bishops and other Catholic [...]

[display_podcast] “Because I Said So” One of the things we all hated hearing from our parents when we were growing up was, “Because I said so.”  Our parents would sometimes answer this way when we asked them why we had to do something.  “Why should I pick up the books on the floor?”  “Because I said so.”  “Why do I have to brush my teeth?”  “Because I said so.”  Our parents could play this card anytime they wanted because they were the parents and we were the kids.  They [...]

[display_podcast] Christianity Is Not a Lifestyle Choice Many people view Christianity as one lifestyle choice among many.  Many view it as a new set of behaviors, as a list of things to do and things not to do.  Many view Christianity as merely a new lifestyle. While being a Christian does entail having a new lifestyle, it most fundamentally isn’t about gaining a new set of behaviors.  The Christian message, what the Bible calls the gospel, is meant to change something much deeper than our behaviors.  Through the gospel, [...]

[display_podcast] Paul’s point in the second half of Ephesians is that if we’ve been made new, we’ll live new lives.  Because we’ve been called by the Lord, we must “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1).  “Walking” refers to how we live.  Paul uses this word picture throughout the last part of the letter.  We must “walk” in unity (4:1-16), “walk” in holiness” (4:17-32), “walk” in love (5:1-6), “walk” in light (5:7-14), and “walk” in wisdom (5:15-6:9).  A new walk is [...]

[display_podcast] Taking the Long View and Expecting Growth The most effective teachers take the long view with their students.  They know that their students won’t change overnight.  They know that they’ll require months of patient instruction.  They know that their students won’t be transformed after one class.  They’re committed to the process of slow and steady instruction because they know that growth happens over time. Effective teachers take the long view, but effective teachers also place reasonable expectations on their students.  They know growth will happen slowly, but they expect [...]

[display_podcast] A Cultural Value Rooted in Scripture Many of our cultural values find their basis in the Bible.  One example is the Latin phrase E Pluribus Unum.  This phrase has been on our nation’s seal since Congress approved it in 1782.  It’s printed on most of our currency.  It’s a phrase that’s been used for thousands of years.  What does it mean?  It means, “Out of many, one.”  It refers to how the original thirteen colonies became one nation during the American Revolution.  Our country is now made up [...]

[display_podcast] Cut Off Toxic Family Members? I read an article this week titled, “Why It’s Okay to Cut Toxic Family Members Out of Your Life.”  It said that we should “never compromise our mental, emotional or physical health for the sake of tolerating a toxic family member.”  The article defined a toxic family member as those who’re judgmental, who feed off of drama, who gaslight you (meaning that they deny saying something that they actually said – also known as lying), who only talks to you when they need [...]