A Timely Reminder of Who I Serve By Beth Demme Did you notice that between Black Friday and Cyber Monday we had Christ the King Sunday? The Christian church has its own calendar and it usually ends on the last Sunday in November with Christ the King Sunday. I say usually because it moves around a bit on the secular …
Why I Don’t Believe God Is Harsh
Why I Don’t Believe God Is Harsh By Beth Demme If you had to describe God in only one word, what word would you choose? Go ahead, say it out loud. I’m waiting. Seriously, I’m listening. Go ahead and say it. Ooooh, good word! (I mean, probably. You probably chose a good word. I can’t actually hear you.) I worry …
Bible Beware
Bible Beware By Beth Demme It’s tempting. Really, it is. It’s tempting to read the Bible thru a lens of “we’re in, they’re out.” When it comes to faith, too many of us have been fed a steady diet of us v. them. We have developed an almost insatiable need to be sure we are “in,” compelling us to identify …
Adoption Changed My View of God
How Adoption Changed My View of God By Beth Demme If you’ve known me for more than five minutes, you know that my husband and I are parents by adoption. I have some great stories about our adoption journey, some of which would make you roll with laughter and others that would leave you weeping. Adoption brought a lot of …
The Problem With Loving God
The Problem With Loving God By Beth Demme In the Gospel of Matthew, a lawyer (one of my people!) asks Jesus “which commandment is the greatest?” Jesus responds: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment.” (Matthew 22:34-38) Did you …
Bad Borrower?
Am I A Bad Borrower? By Beth Demme When I was in elementary school, maybe third grade, I borrowed a book from the school librarian. Not from the school library (these days known as a “Media Center”), but from the librarian herself, Mrs. Whaley. Every Christmas she read The Cajun Night Before Christmas to us and I L‑O-V-E-D it. I …
Time Traveling Emotions
Time Traveling Emotions By Beth Demme Are you a time traveler? No? Are you sure? Hear me out, because the truth is you might be. Or at least, you might be living like one. I’ve never been good at science (especially the mathy parts) so I have no idea how actual time travel would work, even in theory, but I …
There Is A Big God And It’s Not Me
There Is A Big God And It’s Not Me By Beth Demme I want a GIANT poster that says, “There is a Big God and it’s NOT me.” This is the foundational truth at work in the Bible, from the very first sentence of the very first chapter. (Genesis 1:1) It’s the first of the Ten Commandments God speaks to …
Prayer Is (Still) More Than a Hashtag
This was originally published in July 2016, but in the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, earthquakes in Mexico, violence in Catalonia, and devastation in Puerto Rico, I offer it again. Why Prayer is (Still) More Than a Hashtag By Beth Demme In the wake of recent tragedies, I’ve seen a lot of #Prayfor____. I’ve seen the hashtags criticized, …
God’s Unlimited Plan
You Are On God’s Unlimited Plan By Beth Demme Have you ever run out of something? Maybe your car ran out of gas? Maybe you were baking and you didn’t have that cup of sugar you needed? Perhaps, like my teenage son, you’ve run out of data for your cell phone? It happens. We run out of things. Do you …