In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul has been using himself as an example of someone who gives up his rights for the sake...
At first glance, 1 Corinthians 9 seems to change the subject dramatically. In chapter 8, Paul was dealing with the issue of...
The oldest man I ever knew was Brother Spencer. He was 98 when he died, and I wasn't 16. In his life...
Sunday morning found the Atkinson family visiting a church for the first time. We chose an older Episcopal church in our city that is well known for having a high and traditional worship service....
In yesterday's reflection, I explained Paul's unexpected use of "strong" and "weak" with respect to our consciences. People with "strong consciences" have...
I remember coming home from work and there was my son James, lying on his stomach in the living room. He was surrounded by crayons and pieces of paper. ...
My client had a delicate dilemma. A wealthy and generous man, my client had long supported a charity run by a charismatic...
In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul refers to strong and weak consciences in a way that might be confusing to us. If we were to think of someone having a “strong conscience,” we might...
In 1 Corinthians 8-10, the Apostle Paul takes on a particular problem within the Christian community in Corinth. Certain believers there were...
Psalm 137:9 is one of those verses in Scripture that shocks us. How can such a verse be in God's Word? How...
It is cool this morning. I am sitting outside with a cup of English Breakfast tea, looking at orange tropical flowers I planted in my herb garden. It is the day after fireworks...
This week, find a tablespoon of summer. Nothing big. A sound, a sight, something unimpressive. Give it to a poem, and let the poem give it life.
When I was in college, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, a popular southern rock band, released a new song, "So Into You." It began, "When you walked into the room, there was voodoo in...
Still, yesterday I went to a ballet class. The walls were white, not that attractive. I found at least three spiders and...
Christians care deeply about knowledge, or at least we should. After all, we were created with the ability to know. Through our understanding, we are able to fulfill the first lines in our human...
I’d like to spend one more day focusing on 1 Corinthians 7:32-34, because I believe it speaks powerfully, and, perhaps, surprisingly, to...
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Throughout much of the church today, Christians rightly see marriage as a gift from God. But they wrongly conclude or suggest that singleness is somehow a curse, a lesser state of human life. When...
When we find ourselves in difficult situations, it’s only natural to want to change them. Of course, in many cases change can be a real plus. Some time ago, I was out hiking...
Don’t be discouraged, but let’s go another round on this one….Remember the five steps of the writing process. Revise revise revise revise revise. ...
