Praise the Lord?
As we worshiped together the congregation was asked: What is your favorite Psalm? That’s hard for me. Psalm 23? Psalm 139? Psalms 32 and 51 (they go together)? But as I thought of the various Psalms that have impacted my life, my mind kept coming back to one simple phrase, characteristic of what are known as the Hillel Psalms. Psalm 150 is typical of this group of Psalms, opening with Praise the LORD! (Praise Yahweh!). The Psalm continues with a command to praise in every…
Read MoreHow Should A Disciple of Jesus Vote?
As we approach Election Day, everyone knows this is a very contentious and divisive time—probably the most polarized the US has been in 50 years. It is understandable, then, that so many are asking “How should a disciple of Christ vote?”. In fact, I am more troubled by the fact that more are not asking this question. I suspect there is a link between why that is, and the answer to the question! Since the second century Christians have often been pulled between loyalty to…
Read MoreAmbassadorship and Spiritual Health
I have written many posts on other blogs about the fact that we are not intended to get entwined in the world’s affairs. Rather, our mission is to represent the King to those people in the world who are not yet reconciled to Him. As Paul described it, we are Ambassadors. But, since most of us have never served as Ambassadors in any other setting, we don’t always know what that means. What exactly is an Ambassador, and how does that relate to discipleship and…
Read MoreOne of Those Words We Don’t Understand
With the emphasis on the essentials of spiritual health here at The Essential Faith Project, it is easy to make the mistake that we believe discipleship is a mechanical—even legalistic—process. All you have to do in order to dispel this belief is pay attention to the first of the essentials: Worship—and particularly the emphasis on individual worship. That said, it is important to understand the relational aspect of discipleship—not relationships with other Christians (one of the essentials), but the relationship between a disciple and Jesus.…
Read MoreWe Need To Be With Each Other
Isolation. The word means different things in different contexts. In a hospital, it is protection (for the patient and/or others), though those in isolation for any length of time suffer often psychological damage because of it. In a prison, it is punishment, because even hardened criminals need social contact, and the threat of taking it away is used as a deterrent. Isolation is not good. After months of isolating from one another to avoid COVID, our society is reaping the rewards of isolation. Worse yet,…
Read MoreWhat Are You Afraid Of?
As I read the news today I am reminded of my childhood, watching the original Star Trek. They are, again, in serious danger. The guy in the red shirt begins to panic because of course, he is going to get killed. McCoy yells at Kirk, Kirk frantically searches for a solution, and Spock calmly assesses the situation and says, “Fascinating”. There are a lot of words that could describe the world we are living in today. If were an ultrasonic alien I might arch one…
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