Matthew 9-10, 14; Mark 6; Luke 9:1-14 Today’s blog is a double…I’m blogging for yesterday’s reading assignment and for today’s assignment.  My family just returned from a staycation at a local waterpark resort.  It was a fun respite from cooking, cleaning, and laundry, especially since my body is still feeling very bruised and battered.  More on that later. Around this time in history, Jesus sent his disciples out two by two into neighboring villages.  He gave them the authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, and perform other miracles.  What I am puzzled about, though, is that he told … Continue reading Until my healing comes

Matthew 13; Luke 8 Today I drew a line in the sand.  Jesus told us that when someone asks us for anything, to freely give it.  I disobeyed that command because doing so would have enabled a person to further hurt another.  I will give no details, but the Lord knows them.  Maybe the fire in my belly was inflamed by the injustice…I seem to recall a time that Jesus said “No” to those who were turning the Lord’s temple into a supermarket.  (Although unlike Him, I did not overturn any tables or brandish any whips today…but overturning a table … Continue reading Turning the tables

Matthew 12:22-50, Luke 11 Jesus’ bluntness in the face of legalistic hypocrisy is fascinating to ponder.  What if we confronted our cultural leaders in the same way Jesus did? At a dinner at one of the Pharisee’s houses, Jesus unleashed these spiky words: For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens,[m] but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the … Continue reading Fascinating Bluntness