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[A daughter subscribed me to a story site that sends a prompt to write about each week.&nbsp; This week’s prompt was, “Have you ever had a "supernatural" experience, or an experience you can't explain?”&nbsp; Here is my reply.&nbsp; I hope it serves my few readers.] Yes.&nbsp; My “conversion” experience happened when, out of a general religious interest, I attended a Christian tent-revival ..read more

&nbsp;“If Christ has not been raised, then … your faith is empty” (1Cor 15:14). I once suggested using the above verse as the opening tagline for an Easter college newspaper “ad” on behalf the Christian faculty/staff at my university.&nbsp; (The ad with our names was intended let students know who we were and that we were available to them.)&nbsp; My suggestion was shot down as “too negative.”& ..read more

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Lent is a good time to be frail.&nbsp; Jesus is God become frail. The frailty of Jesus.&nbsp; My church has been preaching a series on the humility of Jesus using the first part (vv 6 – 8) of an early church hymn/poem (vv 6 – 11) in Philippians 2: Who [Jesus], being in very nature God,&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;did not consider equality with God&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp ..read more

Sometimes the wondrous mysteries of life move me to worship. We tend to think of our lives in terms of existence.&nbsp; Existence means “out-stand.”&nbsp; That is, the focus is on separation.&nbsp; To coin a term, I have been thinking about my “ensistence” (in-stand).&nbsp; The focus is on inclusion.&nbsp; My life, all life, exists only become is “ensists.” Big Bang: a quantum flux within a ..read more

Lent is a good time for wounded pride.&nbsp; There is a theme in the Book of Ezekiel, a rather overlooked theme, that ties in with Lent.&nbsp; Background:&nbsp; The people of Judah, in a prideful and nationalistic way, had believed that they somehow had a hold on God, much like our slogans, “One nation under God,” and “In God we trust.”&nbsp; [I am not suggesting that the US is a godly nation ..read more

In response to the previous post on forgiveness, I received the following question that would not post. Question: “Part of what makes this sort of forgiveness (lifting the other person's load of injustice) so difficult is that it seems to let the injustice and the unjust person eternally off the hook. Can you comment sometime about whether the forgiven person really does "get away with it ..read more

Lent is a good time to think about forgiving other people.&nbsp; In the closing of the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus turns the issue of forgiveness back on us. “….&nbsp; And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…. &nbsp;For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. &nbsp;But if you do not forgive others their sins, your ..read more

Lent is a good time to think about sin.&nbsp; Sin is what puts me on equal footing with all people.&nbsp; That is Paul’s message to Jews about Gentiles when he draws on Psalm 14:1 – 3 and 53:1 – 3): What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. &nbsp;As it is written:"There is ..read more