To Follow Mary’s Example This Advent, We Have to Know God Or: Why Mary is Better than Moses and Paul By Beth Demme The Virgin Mary is often extolled as an example of a willing servant, especially this time of year. It is true, Mary is the ultimate example of what can happen when one woman says yes to God, …
We Are All Waiting For God
We Are All Waiting For God By Beth Demme Happy New Year! I know we haven’t dropped the ball yet or toasted with champagne, but we have, in fact, begun a new year in the life of the church. Advent has begun! Advent is a season of waiting, and preparation, “for the birth of Christ, and a celebration of God’s …
Wrestling With God
Wrestling With God By Beth Demme Sometimes I hold on too tightly to God. To be more precise, I hold on too tightly to my ideas about God. I unintentionally put God in a box. You probably know the story of Jacob wrestling with God. I love how Jacob’s story gives us permission to “wrestle” with God. It’s a poignant …
In This Election, God Is On My Side
By Beth Demme After three debates, a handful of scandals, and some terrific SNL skits, I feel a little flummoxed by this year’s presidential election. It’s not that I am an undecided voter, I have decided. On the off-chance you’re interested, it was basically a 5-step decision-making process for me: Decide “not Trump.” That was easy for me. I made …
Jesus Is The Worst Mystery Ever
Jesus Is The Worst Mystery Ever By Beth Demme Sometimes words come out of my mouth, and I’m astounded at how awful they sound. It’s even more shocking when I then repeat those words. “Jesus is like, um, the worst mystery ever,” I said to a room full of Christians. “Yep, Jesus is no good at being a mystery,” I then …
A Biased Review of Finding God in the Waves
A Biased Review of Finding God in the Waves By Beth Demme Mike McHargue’s debut book, Finding God in the Waves, was released on September 13, 2016. This is the story of how one man lost his faith, and found it again, through science. Mike went from Southern Baptist to Atheist to Unspecified to Methodist. I want you to read his book. …
Why Faith Is Not An Olympic Event
By Beth Demme I love to watch the Olympic Games. I’m amazed by the dedication and skill of the Olympic athletes. In the Olympics, everything from figure skating to javelin throwing looks easy. None of those things are easy, but they look easy because the athletes are incredibly skilled and highly trained. They are, literally, the best at what they do. …
Prayer Is 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, too. I get it. It’s not enough to pray for something if prayer is a way of avoiding responsibility or giving only lip service. It’s not enough to pray if you expect God to change a mindset or fix a …
Can a Computer Pray for You?
By Beth Demme Sometimes I make prayer seem complicated. I think about my frame of my mind, my vocabulary, my setting, my intention, etc. The truth is, prayer is so simple a child can do it. When I was growing up, we took turns saying the prayer before dinner. Well, as I remember it, we did it that way for many …
Finding Dory and Me, Sometimes I Forget God Is Waiting
By Beth Demme I don’t think Finding Dory was intended to teach me something about God, but as sometimes happens, it did anyway. I realize this admission reveals how unsophisticated I truly am, but if we’ve known each other for more than a minute this won’t be new information. Finding Dory reminded me that sometimes I go off on my …