As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. Demons also came out of many, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak,...
Lord of the Sabbath
posted by DJL
Rules. We tend to love them and hate them. We love them especially when they apply to other people, less so when they’re directed at us. At our best moments, we may realize that rules help us keep ourselves in check, but those really are out best moments…and sometimes they feel mighty...
Generosity & Happiness
posted by DJL
The relationship between money and happiness isn’t a new topic for this blog and its readers. We’ve discussed before the relationship between happiness, money, and memory and, in particular, our inability to predict what will make us happy because of the fragility of memory. We’ve explored the peculiar power of our cultural narrative that having more stuff makes us happy when, in fact, what we need and want so much more than “more stuff” is time enjoy what we have. And we’ve seen how money can, in fact, make you happy when you spend it on others. In this vein, I recently came across a brilliant little video that summarizes a lot...
Luke 4:38-39
posted by DJL
After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them. Simon is Peter. Let’s acknowledge...
I Have a Dream…...
posted by DJL
You have heard this speech before. Or at least parts of it, memorable portions here, particularly inspirational sections there. But even if you’ve listed to the whole of what became known as the “I Have a Dream Speech” by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., you owe it to yourself to...
Luke 4:31-37
posted by DJL
He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What have you...
To the People, Yes
posted by DJL
I have been reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, hoping to finish it before going to see to Steven Spielberg’s adaptation, Lincoln. (We’ll see if I can wait that long.) One of the central themes of the book is that Lincoln had a...
Luke 4:22-30
posted by DJL
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your home town the things that...
What I am Learning About Baptism
posted by DJL
It’s taken me a little over a week to read through and digest (or at least begin to digest) all the comments and fabulous conversation about baptism. Which is why I title this post, “What I am learning about baptism,” rather than “learned” or even “believe,” let alone “know for sure.” What you all have shared keeps teaching me about baptism and for that I am grateful. So, several things: 1) We don’t talk about Baptism enough! Goodness gracious, but there were enough marvelous questions, great insights, strong opinions, and wonderfully open invitations to dialogue that we could fill who knows how many Sunday mornings with...
Luke 4:16-21
posted by DJL
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon...
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