On the eve of our national day of Thanksgiving, and after recent posts on the power of gratitude and it’s contagious nature, it occurs to me that it may be helpful to step back and ask what gratitude is in the first place. I suppose at its most basic level it’s simply an awareness of blessing and a willingness or even eagerness to offer thanks for that blessing. But what precipitates that awareness? And if it’s primarily an awareness or perception of blessing and good fortune, it strikes me that gratitude is likely available to us anytime and in all manner of circumstances. Which brings to mind a statement by the Apostle Paul, writing...
Luke 20:20-26
posted by DJL
So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one,...
Contagious Gratitude
posted by DJL
Gratitude, it turns out, not only creates more happiness but it’s contagious. After Soul Pancake released their video on Gratitude – part of their larger series on “The Science of Happiness” – they invited their audience to shoot and upload videos of them sharing their gratitude with...
Luke 20:9-19
posted by DJL
He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the tenants beat...
Do You Know MOPS?
posted by DJL
Just about a year ago I wrote a post that suggested that in many ways, it’s harder than ever to be a mom. This isn’t to underestimate the effort most dads make to share more of the work at home; it’s simply to recognize that today’s moms not only balance responsibilities at home but...
Luke 20:1-8
posted by DJL
One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders and said to him, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?” He answered them, “I will also ask you...
i thank You God for most this amazing
posted by DJL
e. e. cummings’ unconvential use of grammar, syntax, and style forces you to slow down as you read his poetry in order, not just to decipher, but more to savor the meaning he is crafting and offering over to his reader. Born into a Unitarian family, cummings’ poetry is infused with a sense of God – God’s Being, God’s presence in nature, and God’s goodness, a goodness that in turn prompts cummings’ profound and lyrical gratitude. With that in mind, this seemed like a fine poem to tarry over for a few moments as we move toward Thanksgiving, a day we also ought to slow down and savor, offering our own...
Luke 19:41-48
posted by DJL
As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and...
Would Jesus Shop On Black Friday?
posted by DJL
Given that we’re one week away from this colossal cultural phenom, it seems like a good time to ask the question. Actually, my friend, colleague, and Sermon Brainwave buddy Rolf Jacobson has written a fantastic article in response to this question on Luther Seminary’s wonderful and free web resource, Enter the Bible. In that piece, Rolf responds, quite honestly, that we frankly don’t know whether Jesus would shop on Black Friday. Having said that, though, that doesn’t mean we can’t think theologically about our relationship to the day and, even more, to our habits and pattens of shopping and our relationship to money more...
Luke 19:28-40
posted by DJL
After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never...
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