Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “live loved”
You’ve heard of seeing the world through rose-colored glasses, right? Well, Advent reminds me that if I want to see the world clearly, I need to see it through hope-colored glasses. In a passage that might not sound very Hope-filled or Advent-y, Jesus tells his disciples (including you and me) that a time is coming when everything we know will …
“Sitting across from the offering box, Jesus was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, ‘The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than …
Sometimes, I’m not a good listener. Occasionally my mind will wander or my phone will distract me, but more often, I’m not a good listener because I’m thinking about how to react to what I’m hearing. It could be that I’m thinking through what I will say or how to relate to your story, but I also have to concentrate …
Sometimes, looking in the mirror brings us face to face with things we’d rather not see. The mirror shows us our flaws up close and personal. Looking in a spiritual mirror can do the same thing. In Psalm 51, the Psalmist has looked in the spiritual mirror and come face to face with the ugliness that lies within: “I know …
Dr. Ellen Charry, a professor I once had, explained the incarnation this way: “The story of God in Jesus is not the coming of God to us … rather, in Jesus, God comes as us, so precious are we to God.” Prior to Jesus, God came to humanity through Israel (through Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the prophets, and others). For that …
Have you ever noticed how Jesus had a way of turning things inside out in the Gospels? He was repeatedly criticized for healing the wrong people, in the wrong places, at the wrong times. He hung out with the riff-raff (Luke 5:30), he ventured off into Samaria (John 4:9), and he even healed people on the Sabbath (Mark 1:21-26). And …
As you’ve probably noticed, it’s World Cup time! The thing about every sport—even a low-scoring sport like soccer—is that it all comes down to keeping score. Television commentators sometimes say profound things like, “Well, one thing we can say for sure is that whoever has the most points at the end of today’s game, will pull out a victory and …
Do I Need a Jesus Realignment? Or, Why It Matters to Me that Jesus Healed on the Sabbath By Beth Demme Was Jesus a rabble-rouser? Was he a rebel with a cause? Is that why Jesus broke the rules about the Sabbath? When Jesus allowed his disciples to pluck grain and when he healed the man with the withered hand …
The Irony of How We Use John 3:16 By Beth Demme 16For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. There are different opinions as to how many verses are in the Bible, but everyone agrees there are thousands of them. One …
Pentecost Reminds Me To Breathe God In By Beth Demme We all know there are four seasons—winter, spring, summer, and autumn. I live in the northern part of Florida, just on the border with Georgia. Unlike our friends further south in Florida, we are lucky enough to get at least a taste of each of the four seasons. Some of …