We are all different. We have different physiques, intellects, and temperaments. But in at least one way we are all the same鈥攚e are all created in the image of God. , we read, 鈥淭hen God said, 鈥楲et us make man in our image, after our likeness.鈥欌 Perhaps more than any other characteristic, this sacred likeness is what makes us human.
Let me be blunt: Jesus is not your superstar. He鈥檚 not going to bring glitter or glamor or bedazzle your life. He鈥檚 not here to entertain you. He鈥檚 not here to make your life more convenient or more comfortable.
I am a best friend gal. I love my best friends鈥攎y tribe of women! One of the many reasons I loved being in a sorority and on sports teams is that they gave me more time to hang out with my best friends. (And yes, I have plural best friends.)
We invite you to reflect with countless Christians around the world on these beautiful words from early church father John Chrysostom as part of your Easter celebration.
Are there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Why is Good Friday, well . . . good? Even a casual acquaintance with Good Friday observance suggests it ought to be called Sad Friday, Bad Friday, or God Is Really, Really Mad Friday. (Sorry鈥擨 couldn鈥檛 resist the Dr. Seuss allusion.) The question remains, however: why call it Good Friday when the events are so horrifyingly bad?
There I was, almost 25 years old, hugging a toilet bowl in the middle of the day
Why am I here? I want to be on campus, ministering to my students. I want to be seeing people come to Jesus! Healing! Miracles! Life transformation!
Instead, I was scrubbing a toilet in an assisted living home.
In this crucial moment, kneeling on the bathroom floor, resentment swelled in my throat and stung like bile.
This is not what I thought I was signing up for, God!
As I sat down with a student I was discipling, she boldly said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 okay; I don鈥檛 need to worry about my job, because God knows the plans he has for me, and they鈥檙e for me to prosper and what not.鈥
For the last five years, I鈥檝e been a part of a religious community that prays the 鈥擬ary鈥檚 song of praise upon finding herself pregnant with Jesus鈥攖wice a day.
