Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “church folks”
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 …
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 …
Keeping Up With God, Who Is Always A Step Ahead By Beth Demme In the New Testament, right after the four Gospels, we have a book called “Acts.” Sometimes it’s called “Acts of the Apostles” because it’s the story of how the apostles began to teach, preach, and heal after Jesus ascended to heaven. Sometimes it’s called “Acts of the Holy …
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 …
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 …
God’s Grace Problem By Beth Demme If we were playing a game of word association and I said “Jonah,” chances are good that you would say “whale.” When it comes to Jonah, we tend to get wrapped up in questions about if, how, and why Jonah spent three days in the belly of a fish. But really, Jonah is a …
Unexpected Jesus By Beth Demme And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) For church folks this line is so familiar most can probably recite it from memory, even if they aren’t much on memorizing …
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 …
What if the Cross Really Is About Suffering? By Beth Demme Is there an image of Jesus that makes you uncomfortable? I’m thinking in particular about a crucifix I once saw in Nicaragua. It was sculpted and constructed in such a way that I felt I could almost hear Jesus moaning. The way the blood flowed from the nail holes, …