Observations on Jury Duty
Aside from being in the military, one of the great civic services we have in the U.S. is serving on a jury. Many of us have served on juries before, and the vast majority would say that, while it can be an inconvenience and interruption in the flow of daily life, it is also where we come to appreciate our legal system a little more, imperfect though it may be.
When a Tough Day Happens
As believers, unexpected delays present a huge opportunity for us to demonstrate the love of Christ. It’s an opportunity that we many times overlook.
Let’s start with how we respond to others.
A Most Unusual Commencement Speech
Over the last few days, reports have come out about a commencement speech given in early June by Chief Justice John Roberts at Cardigan Mountain School, an elite middle-school for boys in northern New Hampshire. Justice Roberts addressed the ninth grade class in which his son was graduating.
T-Shirts 2017
Last year about this time we had a blog about T-shirts. Summer truly brings them out in force – on vacation, at the beach, going shopping, etc. Many advertise loyalties to schools, sports teams, businesses, clothing brands, or musical groups. And like we saw last time, some advertise human characteristics that are not exactly virtuous (sarcasm, self-exaltation, argumentativeness, etc.).
How Did “Pollyanna” Get Such a Bad Rap?
The real world does contain unfair treatment, difficult circumstances, and people who do evil. But the Scriptures are quite clear that even these things cannot cause us to lose hope or take away the supernatural joy we can have even when things are not going well, humanly speaking.
“Why We Lie”
This is the title of the lead article in the June 2017 issue of National Geographic, featured on the cover of the magazine. The full title is “Why We Lie – the Science Behind Our Complicated Relationship with the Truth.” I don’t usually read National Geographic, but I had to read this article because lying has been so much a part of human behavior from time immemorial. And the conclusion, based on the Word of God, differs from that of the author – explaining why we lie is not all that complicated.
The Sound Technician (and other jobs you only know about when things go wrong)
Serving in obscurity is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate Whom we serve. While we seek opportunities to encourage others (and are commanded to do so), we do not need to let our peace and joy depend on whether we receive praise or encouragement ourselves.
The Miracle and Meaning of DNA, Part 3
We ended Part 2 by recognizing that, while cultures may have long-established prejudices, God says that believers are all part of the same spiritual family. No ancestry, nationality, race, gender, or age stands in the way of our having fellowship with the Lord and with one another, and the church should be the ultimate example of this principle in action.
What About So-Called “Inherited Problems?”
The Coptic Christian Church Bombings and the Message of Easter
I heard a remarkable interview on the way into work this morning. Last Sunday, Palm Sunday, we were horrified to hear of the bombings of two Coptic Christian Churches in two different Egyptian cities, killing almost 50 people and injuring dozens more.
The Miracle and Meaning of DNA, Part 2
In the last blog we began looking at the implications of DNA testing for us in society, as believers. We provided some background on DNA and introduced three aspects of DNA for which to explore biblical truths: health, ancestry, and stewardship. We covered health last time, will address the first part of ancestry in this blog, and the remainder next time.