Les Fleur
July 11, 2010
There is a song that, to me, is more beautiful and more uplifting than any other ever written. That song is Minnie Riperton’s “Les Fleur.”
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Who Are God’s People?
March 10, 2010
We sometimes want to choose who God calls us to love and to serve.
For example, many of us say that poor people are poor because of their own bad choices, so they don’t deserve our help. Now, first of all, this largely isn’t true. But secondly, and more importantly, God calls us to love the poor no matter what. He doesn’t say “love the poor unless they made bad decisions.”
Similarly, he calls us to love immigrants. He doesn’t say love the immigrant, but only if he has his paperwork in order.
Leviticus 19:33-34 (The Message) says:
When a foreigner lives with you in your land, don’t take advantage of him. Treat the foreigner the same as a native. Love him like one of your own. Remember that you were once foreigners in Egypt. I am God, your God.
Why do we struggle with that? Why do we make our love conditional?
Universal Love – The Great Commandment (part two)
August 18, 2009
If you are to love your neighbor as yourself, who is your neighbor? This is of course what the Parable of the Good Samaritan is all about, and it’s fascinating to me. Christ says we are to love everyone without regard for race, nationality or any other trait or characteristic. That’s powerful, isn’t it?
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The Great Commandment (part one)
June 14, 2009
I got married a week ago to the love of my life, and thus I’ve been thinking a lot about love lately. In fact, I’ve only recently come to understand that loving each other is the most important thing we can do in life, second only to loving God. The idea seems simple, but the more I think about it, the more I realize how big that concept is.
Loans That Change Lives
May 18, 2009
I’m a big fan of Kiva. Kiva is a web site that allows you to make small loans to entrepreneurs in parts of the world that really need your help. For example, I just gave $25 to a man selling food in Palestine. It’s a small amount of money to me, but it goes further there. And when multiple people give, it really adds up.
It’s important to note that this is not a donation in the traditional sense – it’s a loan. So the money will be paid back eventually. And this is the power of Kiva.
Gone.
May 11, 2009
If you had one word for someone in pain, someone suffering from insecurities or guilt or shame, what would it be? Mine would “gone.”
Leisure
April 26, 2009
God calls us to have leisure. In Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” In his book, Leisure: The Basis of Culture, Josef Pieper says this can also be interpreted to mean, “Have leisure, and know that I am God.” For those of us who work fifty or sixty hours a week, this is a welcomed message.
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Giano
April 20, 2009
Giano is a rapper who writes rhymes about things bigger than himself. “It’s not about the fame, cuz if that’s the case, then we’re really barking up the wrong tree!” Rejecting braggadocio, Giano focuses instead on an uplifting message of God’s love. “The love He has for us is immeasurable, incomparable to anything we could ever experience.”
Sing!
Do you have a song that, on those days you wish you’d stayed in bed, really lifts your spirits? “Sing” by Roni Size and Jocelyn Brown is that song for me.
The Present is a Gift
April 19, 2009
In his song “Be,” Commons says:
Never looking back
Or too far in front of me
The present is a gift
And I just want to be.
The word-play alone is great, but there’s a point to it, and the message is powerful. Live today, and don’t worry about tomorrow.
