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Easter Day Massacre–When prayers go unanswered
On this particular Easter morning, I woke up with a sinking feeling in my stomach. As I prepared to drive our nice minivan, to our nice church in our nice clothes I couldn't help but think about the global plight of our brothers and sisters in Christ. I prayed that morning—a prayer that God didn't seem to answer. An unholy foreshadowing of the events to follow crossed my mind and I whispered a faint prayer against attacks. I grabbed for my bright green scarf and threw on my yellow earrings for a pop of color and asked God to save his people from death and persecution on Easter Sunday. After…
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Why Celebrate Valentine’s Day?
According to the market research firm IBIS World, Valentine’s Day sales reached $17.6 billion last year, 2014, and this year’s sales are expected to exceed that figure. February 14 has catapulted into a lucrative opportunity for the sales community. Tangled up in the legends and history of this holiday is a remarkable story. The legend: Saint Valentine was a Roman Priest at the time of the rule of Emperor Claudius- a persecutor of the church. Valentine lived and ministered against the backdrop of a very permissive society where there were no boundaries or strict codes morally. Polygamy would have been more popular than one man and one woman in a…
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Stephen, martyred for the faith
Title: Stephen, martyred for the faith Aim: To evaluate the importance of being both courageous and gracious in letting others know about Jesus. Scripture:Acts 7:51–8:1 The religious leaders’ formal accusations against Stephen, Acts 7:51–53 Acts 6:9–15 narrates an episode involving a group of emancipated Jewish slaves who told the Sanhedrin (the highest court of justice in ancient Jerusalem) that Stephen was preaching against the Mosaic Law and the supremacy of the temple. Stephen’s opponents decided to use the same sorts of accusations that previously had been successful in getting rid of Jesus. In offering a critique of the religious leadership in Stephen’s day, it is important to avoid the…
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Gun to Your Head. “Are you a Christian?” What would you say?
We can never know how we would respond to the ultimate threat. But a thoughtful heart check sheds light on what we treasure most. While our choices matter to God, he tells us our motives matter even more. God is always looking at our hearts. Thinking of what I would say to a shooter pointing a gun at my head was not nearly as revealing for me as pondering why I would say it. As you read these wildly different responses from the candid crew over on Reddit what values do you see at work? “Strong Catholic here. I can't deny God. No matter what; for me…
