Matthew 18 Be humble like a child…and forgive from the heart.  Those are the messages I gleaned tonight from Matthew 18.  But trying to pick one or even two topics to glean from Jesus is nearly impossible.  Every word that is recorded as coming from his mouth is instructive.  Sometimes I wish I could physically EAT his words and make them a part of myself. Tonight I heard Josh Hamilton give all glory to Jesus for the Rangers’ win.  When asked if he had reached the top of his mountain (getting into the World Series), Josh replied, on national television, … Continue reading Kudos all around

Matthew 16, Mark 8, Luke 9:18-27 It’s so easy to poke fun at the Pharisees and religious leaders.  To an outsider looking in, reading about events after the fact, we can pinpoint their failures and hopefully learn how NOT to act! Right after Jesus miraculously fed four thousand people using only seven loaves of bread and a few fish, with seven basketfuls of leftovers, the Pharisees went to Jesus and asked him for….wait for it….a SIGN from heaven.  As if feeding a huge crowd of people with a meager amount of food didn’t qualify as a sign?  As if healing … Continue reading Not my lap dog

Matthew 15; Mark 7 I am more of  a Pharisee than I’d like to admit!  I wonder if their hand-washing ritual was the first recorded germaphobic action?  I don’t eat until I wash my hands…because I know that there may very well be unclean bacteria and other unseen booger bears on my hands.  Yet Jesus reprimanded them for their blind adherence to tradition.  I don’t think it was the hand washing itself that he took issue with: rather, it was the attitudes of their hearts.  He wanted them to see that a person’s character is made unclean by the attitude … Continue reading Releasing traditions

John 6 Jesus fed the multitude.  People back then were just as fond of free food as we are today!  (Just look at the Costco crowd on the weekend taking advantage of all those samples!)  Crowds of people followed him now seeking healing and now physical sustenance.  But Jesus turned their thinking inside out when he told them that HE, his body, was the bread of life.  He compared himself to manna. Many of those listening to Him completely missed the point.  They were still thinking about their stomachs when He was speaking about how they could “feed” on his … Continue reading Missing the metaphor