A place for you.

The parable of the Prodigal son in Luke 15 is special partly because it is one of the passages that gives us a direct glimpse into the kind of Father God is.  The son decided he would rather have the riches that he would one day have inherited from his father than to live in his father’s presence.  So, he took his things and left.  But somewhere along the way, he realized the difference that love makes.  When in the…

This passage has always convinced me that Jesus had a sense of humor. If what he’s saying wasn’t so completely serious, it’d be downright hilarious.  Try to visualize the image he paints:  Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that…

Back in the summer, I heard about a little baby who died after accidentally being left in a sweltering car for three hours. That poor child. And that poor family. I can’t even fathom how overwhelming their grief is, how much guilt they feel, how many tears they’re shedding. It’s a reminder—if we needed one—of how many struggles there are in the world. How many people are suffering? How many tears they’re crying. When’s the last time you wept? It’s…

I was getting off the interstate a while back when I saw a man at the bottom of the exit ramp holding a “NEED FOOD” sign. I’m always stirred by different feelings when I see this—compassion, a bit of guilt, curiosity, shame. Why doesn’t he have food? Should I give him money? But it’s also interesting to recognize that this is the image Jesus used to start the most famous sermon ever preached. Most people in his nation thought the…