The Power of a Shared Meal By Beth Demme I love sitting down at a table with people and sharing a meal. Whether it’s a holiday meal with the family that has loved me my entire life, or an evening out with new friends, I always enjoy “breaking bread” with people. “Breaking bread” has a special meaning in Christianity. If …
Why I Love Doubting Thomas
Why I Love Doubting Thomas By Beth Demme When you hear the story of “Doubting Thomas” do you think of him as a failure or do you feel an affinity for him? If you don’t know the details of his story, pause for a minute and read how he got his nickname at John 20:19-31. On the one hand, I …
How To Go From Despair to Delight
How To Go From Despair to Delight By Beth Demme On Easter we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. We celebrated an empty tomb that was full of hope! We celebrated that our relationship with God is restored! Now, as we move into the Easter season (Easter Sunday thru Pentecost), I find myself considering Mary Magdalene. I keep thinking about her …
Jesus is Missing from the Easter Story
Jesus is Missing from the Easter Story By Beth Demme One of the reasons I come to you via email, Facebook, or blog each week is to fulfill my personal mission to help people see the Bible as manageable and meaningful. That means there are times when I have the joy (and challenge?) of sharing something with you that you …
Resurrection Begins Now (And It’s Not Even Easter Yet)
Resurrection Begins Now (And It’s Not Even Easter Yet) By Beth Demme There comes a time towards the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry when he raises a man from the dead, his dear friend Lazarus. The telling of this story always breaks me a little because of the words of Martha, the sister of Lazarus. Martha is a do-er, a …
Commandments, Contracts, and Covenant
Commandments, Contracts, and Covenant By Beth Demme It’s tempting to make faith into something legalistic. To make it about rules and obedience. I know this is a temptation because I see how prevalent it is in Christian culture, but also because I see it in myself. Often it’s a marker of a new relationship with God, but I’ve been on …
Praying and Waiting
Praying and Waiting A Biblical Hero’s Lesson In How NOT To Do It By Beth Demme Are you good at praying … and then waiting? I spend a good amount of time praying, even listening, but I’m terrible at waiting! Abraham, the patriarch of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths was also not good at waiting for God’s promises to come …
The Reality of Lent
The Reality of Lent, #ParklandShooting By Beth Demme On Ash Wednesday 2018, fourteen teenagers and three coaches were savagely murdered in a shooting spree at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. We, as a country, have a routine after a massacre like this. It’s a routine I don’t much care for. We break into sides, camps, parties, teams, tribes, or …
Happy Va-LENT-ine’s Day
Happy Va-LENT-ine’s Day By Beth Demme Happy February 14th! It’s Valentine’s Day, but this year it also happens to be Ash Wednesday, aka the beginning of Lent. So this year we are celebrating Va-LENT-ine’s Day! Maybe you’ve been in and around church your whole life and you know all about Lent. Perhaps your Lenten practices are simply another cog in …
God Knows We Can’t Help Ourselves
God Knows We Can’t Help Ourselves By Beth Demme Maybe it’s my American-ness or maybe it’s just my personality, but I kind of like the expression, God helps those who help themselves. I like it because I believe I know how to help myself, at least a little. It’s as if I can obligate God to be on my side …