Today taught me something about myself--I may be more prone to some addictions than I imagined. Here's the story. If you've read Unconventional enough, you likely realize I'm not much of a legalist. Yes, let's follow biblical commands, not as the way into faith but to express faith. BUT. I appreciate Sunday's focus on God and worship and rest. And I have no problems with doing some stuff on these days. But...
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image by Aliane Kramarik
Jesus. Who Was He? Really?
Before beginning, or getting immersed, in a relationship, we're better off knowing as much as we can about a person's nature, character, values, and beliefs. Haven't we all been hurt, or betrayed, by someone we thought we knew? Or, pleasantly surprised? For us, who want to follow Jesus, knowing who he is becomes even more critical. Our lives, our eternal destinies, depend on that.
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image by masterfile.com
An Uneasy Comfort
After 36 years of marriage, Sheila and I have settled into relaxed comfort. In our first days, we'd talk until 2 in the morning, avidly learning about each other. Now we head for bed at different times. In early years, we'd cuddle in bed and discuss our days. Now we read books. Separate ones. In early years we'd eagerly listen to the other's words. Now we finish their sentences. Life is like that, even the spiritual one. We begin with passion and fervor, and settle into an uneasy comfort. We love, we commit, we serve, but the spark is gone. Should it be?
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The Worth of a Person
The time arrived to sell my first car, a yellow 1964 Falcon Futura, much like the one above, so to save every cent for the next vehicle I consulted a friend in the car business. I wanted a dollar figure on its worth, but he surprised me, "Tim, the car is worth as much, and no more, than you can get a person to pay for it." The implications of that concept have followed me for decades, and they directly impact the level of our intimacy with God. Our intimacy directly connects to the depth of our connection.
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image courtesy of San Bernardino Police Department
The Evil in Here
Just last week, a husband and wife used the above SUV in killing 14 and wounding 21 people in San Bernardino. ISIL, or ISIS, or the Islamic State, or Daesh, who "inspired" these two, for all of its faults, establishes the reality that evil exists, and abounds. Charlie Hebdo. The France train attack. Paris. San Bernardino. And more. Much more. Yet we face a greater temptation than that presented by terrorism...
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image by dreamstime.com
Out of Darkness
OK, it's time! A few weeks ago I did a humorous tongue in cheek rant about how early some began to celebrate Christmas. Two weeks before Thanksgiving is too soon for outside lights and Facebook posts! So now that we've finished the Thanksgiving weekend, it's time for Christmas to begin. But why now? I mean, why do we celebrate thebirth of Jesus on December 25? Most of us know ...
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Hard Times
The pic above looks serene, two nice looking bikes in the California redwoods on an early morning. September 2015. Yet the surface appearance never reveals a clue to the hard times those bikes and one other experienced on that trip. Nor the difficulties of the riders. Look at ...
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Purposeful Balance
True confession time, annoyance is growing in me. Already, in EARLY November, two Christmas Facebook posts have made the rounds. Yes, I chastised both posters--one a writing friend, the other my wife. NOVEMBER! Next, on Saturday November 14, the neighbor across the street began hanging his Christmas lights. In mid November! Have people no sense of timing? OK, it's not as elaborate as the pic above, but...
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