... Even if we keep our outward behavior in line (let’s not talk about motivations and attitudes!), what is the orientation of our heart? Is it on enjoying the presence of God? No. It is on our behavior, always being careful to do the right and avoid the wrong. So the focus becomes what? Me! ...
... First, what are healthy foods? Research shows that whole grains, lean proteins, low-fat dairy, fruits and vegetables provide the most nutrients with fewest calories. We know low-sodium, low-sugar and low-saturated fat foods are good choices.
So, do these foods described cost more than their less healthy counterparts? ...
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For the last three years I have shared life and the journey among the people of Cokesbury United Methodist Church and the larger community of Vance County and beyond. I once was a stranger coming into what was for me a strange land. We shared life together. We prayed, worshipped, did ministry, ate, played together. Friendships formed. Family was born.
The power of shared experience is we move from strangers to friends to family. We break the comfort zones and find it hard to leave our new joy.
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... I think native plants should be an important part of our home landscapes. North Carolina living offers many delights, and our population continues to grow. As natural landscapes are lost, I believe our home landscapes can serve as mini-preserves for plants that become increasingly rare.
And while, in my mind, rare plants are worthy of preservation for their intrinsic value, they also play ecological roles we are only beginning to grasp in the way of connections to other plants and animals.
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This year, in the churches in Newtown, Conn., there will be mothers facing Mother’s Day without their children for the first time. They are not the only ones for whom this day may be difficult. There are children without mothers and mothers without children. There are children who have known only abuse from their mothers and mothers who have been abused by their children. There are women who long for motherhood but it has been denied.
It is both a day of great joy and deep grief.
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For people who are not guided by any type of faith or belief, their guiding force can sometimes become the pleasure of the moment. This is marked by the overconsumption we see in our society today. We have overeaten, overspent, overindulged and yet, there is still something missing; a soul longing for completion. We have tried to fill that longing with more things or different people or more activities, but they only provide a temporary fix.
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So much of what I am I owe to you. Sometimes we went a long time without being together. Sometimes thousands of miles separated us. But your shadow of influence was always with me. I think I understand better now the old saying, “God couldn’t be everywhere so God made mothers.” It may be poor theology, but its good sense.
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If anyone has been walking around in the woods lately, they may have found some of those little creepy-crawly things we call ticks. They are out and active.
If they are bothering us, think about how they are also bothering our livestock.
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God incarnate chose not to take on a broken and fallen world as the Lion of Judah but as the sacrificial lamb. God chose not to fight the violence with violence or the hate with hate. God chose love. God chose to die upon the cross for you, for me, for the world. It is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.
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While warmer temperatures bring many pleasures, they also bring a few nuisances. Our beloved southern state is plagued by various biting and stinging pests that can turn an outdoor activity into unpleasantness, or even misery.
