Are You a Work in Progress? By Beth Demme I’ve written before (here, here, and here) about how I love the Old Testament. One of my favorite Old Testament heroes is the long ago judge of Israel, Gideon. (Judges 6-8) I appreciate Gideon’s story not because of his heroism, but because of his lack of it. Gideon teaches me that …
The Power of Apology
The Power of Apology to Soften the Heart & Open the Mind By Beth Demme Apologies are powerful things. I learned this first-hand when I practiced law full-time. I often represented nursing homes being sued for negligence in the death of a resident. You might not believe me, but most of the time people in nursing homes die of natural …
Wholeness and Doughnuts
Wholeness and Doughnuts By Beth Demme If you were a doughnut, what kind would you be? Would you be a delicious hot glazed Krispy Kreme, fresh off the conveyor belt? Would you be a Dunkin’ Donuts Old Fashioned, ready to dive into a hot cup of coffee? Or are you a jelly-filled doughnut, sweet and surprising inside? I know this …
Mercy for My World and MySelf
Praying for Mercy for My World and MySelf By Beth Demme Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie Eleison. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. It’s an old, old prayer from around the 300’s. This prayer is almost too simple in its construction. It is, perhaps, too Roman Catholic for someone like me who was raised in a Protestant …
A Beatitudes Prayer for Transformation
A Prayer for Transformation (Based on the Beatitudes) By Beth Demme Perfect God, I come before you today ready to be transformed by your loving grace. Open my heart and my mind to the truth of how much you love me. I know Lord that sometimes I let pride, thoughtlessness, anger, impatience, and discontent separate me from you. I do this …
What Is Worry Costing You?
What Is Worry Costing You? By Beth Demme I recently spent several days worrying about my family’s health insurance plan. This isn’t a political statement; I wasn’t struggling with whether the Affordable Care Act should stay or go. We went to get a prescription filled and the pharmacy said it wasn’t covered. At first, I assumed it only appeared the …
My God Box Is Too Small
By Beth Demme A healthy and sustaining spirituality anticipates new knowledge, welcomes the search for truth, and dares to live with uncertainty.” –EfM I read this quote recently and instantly loved it. Sometimes I dare to live with uncertainty. Other times, I find myself stuffing God into a set of too-small boxes. The first box I try to squeeze God …
Happiness Is a Heart Condition
By Beth Demme In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8, NRSV) This is also translated, “Happy are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Happy. I like being happy, feeling happy. I’m not a student of New Testament Greek, but I can tell you …
Looking For God In All The Wrong Places
By Beth Demme Epiphany is more than a sudden inspiration; it’s a season on the church calendar! Epiphany is when we celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men as described in Matthew 2:1-12. Epiphany conjures up an image of three robed men riding camels through the desert at night, following the light of the brightest star in the sky. As with …
The Birth Of Jesus Is The Death Of Self-Sufficiency
The Birth of Jesus is the Death of Self-Sufficiency By Beth Demme In 1944, a German Catholic priest named Alfred Delp spent his final Advent in a Nazi prison. A few weeks before he was hanged, Father Delp described the Virgin Mary as “the most comforting of all the Advent figures.” He wrote: Advent is the promise denoting the new …