Stewards in Action

Reflect The parable Jesus told of the man who built bigger barns is often misunderstood by people who think Jesus was condemning the man for his wealth. Jesus called the man a fool, not because of what he had, but because of his attitude toward his possessions, and his priorities in life. What is wrong […]

Reflect Much of the teaching of Jesus has been called “upside down theology.” He taught and practiced the reverse of the world’s standards. Jesus advocated humility and servanthood as ways to greatness in the kingdom of God. In worldly kingdoms, greatness is measured by the one who finishes first, comes out on top, makes the […]

Reflect Probably the biggest struggle we have as Christians is this business of love. We don’t have a lot of problems with the “big stuff”—murder, adultery, bank robbery—the “shall nots.” And we give lip service to this idea of love and say that we truly do love our neighbors. The problem is we don’t really […]

Reflect The resurrection story is usually saved for Easter, when we can see new life and growth all around us. The story of the birth of Jesus last week led to a life of ministry, a tragic death and new life. The good news is that even in great loss, there is always a new […]

Reflect By the world’s standards, Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus was certainly not an occasion for joy. A poor, teenage girl, under a cloud of suspicion driven away from home by a heartless bureaucracy, in the last days of her pregnancy, forced to endure a hazardous journey to a strange place where there […]

Reflect In the Old Testament, after the death of Joshua and the men “who had seen all the great things of God done for Israel” had died, the next generation “knew neither the Lord nor what he had done.” It took only one generation for people to forget their covenant relationship with God and return […]

Reflect Who is this man who compelled others to give up their lives and follow him? What new messages does he offer that attracts them? Jesus asked two questions of his followers: “Who do other people say I am?” and “Who do you say I am?” leading to Peter’s statement of faith. Most people have […]

Reflect During Advent of 1954, an article by C.S. Lewis was published in Britain. (You can find the article, “Xmas and Christmas” in the collection God in the Dock. The article was a speculation as to what might be written by fourth century B.C. historian Herodotus if he were to visit modern Britain in December. […]

Reflect I once came across two parts of the same creek. One was crystal clear, had minnows swimming in it, and was perfect for wading. The other was slimy and full of sludge. The difference was that the slimy water was disconnected from the living, moving water of the crystal clear creek. I once heard […]

Reflect A middle school teacher is suspended because two students had sex when he stepped our of the classroom for fifteen minutes. A bomb goes off in a church on Sunday morning, injuring worshippers. A KKK rally turns violent. A teenagers kills his parents, then goes to school and begins shooting teachers and classmates. These […]