Monthly Archives: December 2013

     The biggest problem with Christianity is that it makes you “out of place.”  John the Baptist was out of place to tell the King he was an adulterer.  Jesus was out of place to tell the religious leaders they … Continue reading →

     We end our Christmas-week meditations with the Church’s affirmation: “Jesus is Lord.”  This was the earliest Christian statement of faith.  It is a claim which universalizes him.  If he is Lord (that is, Yahweh–that is, God), he is no … Continue reading →

     We move on to Peter’s declaration.  When Peter told Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” he was declaring the reality of the Incarnation.  He was saying that Jesus was “eternity entering into time” (Ephesians … Continue reading →

     Today is Christmas Day.  We receive the angel’s declaration that the Savior is born (Luke 2:11).  Like Mary and Joseph, it took angels to convince the shepherds that they were not hallucinating.  And like Mary and Joseph, it was … Continue reading →

     We move next to Joseph’s experience.  Mary’s reputation was at stake; Joseph’s honor was on the line.  It took an angel’s visit to both of them in order to prevent them from misunderstanding what was going on.  And Joseph, … Continue reading →

This year, Christmas falls in the middle of the week.  As a further means to our celebration of it, I will post five meditations today through Friday.  Let’s begin with Mary’s anticipation.      The angel told her she would give … Continue reading →

If you like, I invite you to read (and share) the Christmas-week meditations I have written this Monday through Friday.  They post each day at 1:00 a.m. ET. They are my “Christmas card” to each of you, praying that as … Continue reading →

As interest in the life and work of E. Stanley Jones grows, I want to direct you to places where you can become more aware and involved… Facebook Pages      E. Stanley Jones      United Christian Ashrams Websites      http://www.estanleyjonesfoundation.com … Continue reading →

     A reading of the writings of the early desert fathers and mothers reveals their outright refusal to condemn another person.  They did not do this because they felt sin did not matter, but rather because they did not feel … Continue reading →

     In a sound-byte world, speakers and writers “live and die” by segments. Excerpts from speeches and quotes from books are often all we have.  If we speak or write, the need to be word crafters increases when people base … Continue reading →

An article in The Huffington Post (11/12/13) offers us a perspective akin to that of the Gospel… “The more power we have — as seen in politicians, the media, CEOs, movie stars, control freaks, or in those who always think … Continue reading →

Henri Nouwen supplies us with another good perspective on the Church… “Loving the Church often seems close to impossible. Still, we must keep reminding ourselves that all people in the Church – whether powerful or powerless, conservative or progressive, tolerant … Continue reading →

The fallen world says, “You are what you do.”  Adopting that value system immerses us in a performance-orientation where achievements, possessions, and appearances define us.  What others think of us (image) is what we work on all the time, in … Continue reading →