Last Friday, I offered some reflections on Jeremiah 7:11. I explained how the Temple had become, for many Jews in the time of Jeremiah, like a “den of thieves.” They believed that they were safe...
As you know if you’ve been reading these Daily Reflections for a while, during the weekdays I focus on a certain book of Scripture, with the hope of eventually reflecting my way through...
by Ed Cyzewski Editor's Note: This continues Ed Cyzewski's series of Lenten meditations on the gospel of Mark. This week, Ed focuses on Mark 14. It is a day late because Marcus Goodyear...
As the residents of Judah continued to disregard God’s law, reveling in idolatry and injustice, they believed they were safe from God’s judgment because of the Temple in Jerusalem. After all, the...
When she was about eighty years old, my grandmother began to feel just a little less than well. So she went to see her doctor, who referred her to a specialist. It turned...
As the Lord looked upon Jerusalem, he could find no one of integrity (5:1). Jeremiah, in defense of his fellow Israelites, suggested that they didn’t know God’s law because of their poverty....
It’s been said that confession is good for the soul, though what often goes unsaid is that it’s bad for the reputation. Nonetheless, I’m prepared to share what exactly I’m doing with my...
I remember when my first-born child was beginning to chow down on real food (if you can call the pureed choices in the little jars "real food"). I tried diligently to introduce him...
One reason I’m not so keen on fame is that I’ve had a taste of it. Being in a fish bowl sounds great until it happens to you. But one particular incident taught...
A friend of mine owns a company, and his employees get a little on edge when they see him coming their way. ...
When I was a boy, I loved watching The Adventures of Superman on television. In glorious black and white, George Reeves starred as the Man of Steel whose superpowers saved lives and captured...
When I was working on my masters in Clinical Psychology, I did my internship at the Department of Psychiatry of the local medical school. As part of my training, I worked under the...
The ancient Israelites rubbed up against the Canaanites and their fertility religion. Part of this religion involved sexual rites on mountains and hilltops, often under sacred trees. Many of the...
by Ed Cyzewski ...
In Jeremiah 2, the Lord explains why the Israelites have fallen into such grave difficulties. Verse 13 narrows down to two their offenses: “For my people have done two evil things: They have...
In Jeremiah 2, the Lord speaks through the prophet to indict Jerusalem for rejecting God and his ways. The people started well, “eager to please” the Lord (2:2). They were “holy” before him, and he...
The Lord called Jeremiah to a daunting task. He was to be God’s “prophet to the nations” (1:5). In this role, Jeremiah would “stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some [he] must uproot...
I’ve had some outstanding bosses. And I’ve have some pretty bad ones, too. I bet you’ve experienced both kinds as well. The worst ones were those that were self-absorbed. The entire workplace... ...
“Work to live, don’t live to work.” ...
Today I begin to focus on the Old Testament book of Jeremiah in the Daily Reflections. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that I go back and forth between the...
