He was wrapped in an enigma, and so he is now.  For thousands of years theologians have puzzled over how Judas could betray his friend and teacher for the price of a slave.  The depth of evil is thankfully unfathomable to most of us, and the why’s and wherefore’s of Judas’ betrayal we may never understand, but think of the length to which Jesus went to save Judas from himself.  Time and again Jesus both encouraged and warned Judas.

Now, that midterm elections are over, we as Christians should remember an important point regardless of who is in office:

    I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks, be made for all men: for kings and all who are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:1-4).

Think about this. If God knew that the human race would be so much trouble, why did he even bother? We’re a cantankerous lot who can’t seem to get along. We argue, fight, and steal. We form cliques and gangs, manipulate each other, and even war against each other.

Midterm elections have started, and it sparked an idea for this blog. No, this is not a political blog, and I am not going to talk about elections. The thing that I was thinking about is how much hate comes out during elections. It isn’t as bad during midterm elections, but it is bad enough. And, a thought came into my mind, if people just showed love to their enemies the world would be a much more beautiful place.

Scriptures say what they say, and sometimes it’s hard to understand why.  There was a time in Egypt when a couple of Israelite women told very deliberate lies and were honored for it.  They were so honored for this that the Bible preserves their names, Shiphrah and Puah, for every generation since.

I don’t want to be the Christian that is just a seat-warmer at services. I don’t want to be a surface Christian—the type who knows how to walk the walk and talk the talk but is empty on the inside. In other words, faith and true belief are not really deep in the soul.

Have you ever wished you could get God to change his mind?  It can be done, even if it’s something major.  Moses was able to do it, and he did it twice: once shortly after leaving Egypt and again as they were on the brink of the Promised Land.

Jesus healed the sick. Sometimes he would pray for them. Sometimes he would heal them with words. Sometimes he would lay hands on them. He even, at least one time, healed from afar.

And there were three times when he healed with his saliva. (Mark 7:31-33, Mark 8:22-23, John 9:11). Why did Jesus use such an odd medical procedure?

The Day of Atonement is upon us, and for many, it isn’t the favorite of God’s High Days.  For some crazy reason though, I always look forward to it.  It is not because I really love to fast.  It is also not because fasting is easy for me.  It is just something about the fact that it seems like I am renewed on the Day of Atonement.  I really feel the “At-One-Ment.”

One evening I went through an intersection near home and right there was a police car, lights flashing right at me. I pulled into a nearby parking lot where several others were waiting with me for their respective turns with the city's finest. 

I was thinking the other day about the scripture that states that if we do not forgive, we can’t be forgiven. It is found in Matthew 6:14. Well, it struck me that this can be applied to whether or not we forgive ourselves.

I find it easier to forgive others than to forgive myself, and I realized that by not forgiving myself, maybe I have kept the Father from forgiving me also. I may be stretching this scripture in Matthew, but the Messiah is pretty bold; He says if you “forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt 6:14)

Our God is a patient sort, and that goes for our prayer lives too.  As Paul once wrote, “The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”  (Rom 8:26-27 NKJV)  That’s like saying God sees our hearts even if our tongues don’t say it right.

Fear: a state of overwhelming anxiety that zaps all signs of hope and faith away, making one to feel panicked. That’s my definition. It is a mind-tingling sensation that destroys all my rational thought, and heightens my emotional state.

For hundreds of years, people have been saying that the story of the census in the Gospel of Luke was a fable. But all that changed in 1947 when Luke's account of the birth of Jesus was verified by a publication from the University of Chicago.

God doesn’t always speak through his prophets. There are at least four instances in the New Testament where God’s message is made known through what we might think of as surprising sources.

Bullying is in the news nearly every day. It is a problem our schools are trying hard to deal with, and access to the Internet has simply provided an additional outlet for this behavior. It is a multi-layered issue that must be addressed on every level.

I cannot tell you what to do about “bullies” at your child’s school, but I can tell you a lesson I recently learned from my grandson about dealing with bullies.

Today, I want to write a more personal blog rather than the style I have been writing because I want to share my week. I had a really testing week this week. I wasn’t tragically tested. My test this week was more about not quite reaching a major family goal.

With the end of summer upon us, another school year begins. Our children are back at school. Many of our young adults are off to institutions of higher learning or out in the work force trying to make a place for themselves in this world. As they embark on their journeys this year in a world vastly different from forty, thirty, or even twenty years ago, what place does righteous character have in today’s secular, fast-paced, lawless, postmodern world? 

I spend a lot of time every spring and summer digging up weeds from my lawn and mulching them in my garden.  The weed I dig up the most is the dandelion.  It and its pretty yellow flowers just don’t belong in my front yard.

I would like to ask a question: How many people do you think feel satisfaction with their lives? How many of you are self-satisfied with your life? Is there anything you wish you could change?