Withdevotion

What follows is a chapter from Jim Palmer's book, Inner Anarchy. It is about the writings of Paul in the New Testament. If I were a better writer, I would have written these same words. Here are a few clips from it that I particularly liked followed by Palmer's chapter Christianity as we know it is the product of a long historical development, and no individual shaped that ...

I always knew I was a star. And now, the rest of the world seems to agree with me. -Freddy Mercury I remember selling our Beatles LPs in the late 70s at a garage sale we held to raise money for new missionaries to Kenya. Never really gave it a thought. We were part of a fundamentalist sect that were pretty anti-rock-music. I, more than most.In those early days my listening habit...

Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete. -Matthew 5:48 CEB I love how the Common English Bible (CEB) renders this verse. While other translations tell us to be perfect as God is perfect this rendering seems to make more sense. It does mess with us though. All of our lives we have been told that God is perfect ...

Jesus said, “Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.” -Luke 19:10 MSG I like the way that Eugene Petersen renders this verse. I think that the salvation that Jesus speaks of is all about finding and restoring people who have lost hope. Folks that are sad, lonely, unhappy and unloved. To the...

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! -Jesus Christ, Matthew 6:5 I have prayed a few thousand people in my lifetime. Have shed many tears as I felt the pain of my brothers and sisters in the faith. I have spent years praying silently and in private for my wife as she struggled with disability and pain. I prayed constantly for my first wife before she died,So I am acquain...