Perfect Prayer “Did I pray that correctly?” I’m sometimes asked this question by a friend when we meet for prayer. After she completes a brief… Read More »Pre-Owned Prayers Worth Praying: Jesus’ Prayers
I’ve read a lot of articles and heard a lot of reports in the past few weeks about the holiday blues. This time of year is a tough time for many. In that light, I want to point us this morning to a blues song.Read More »A Christmas Family Tree: Comprehensive Kin (Lk. 3:23-38)
I was blessed with the opportunity to write a guest commentary on the day before Christmas for Memphis’ Commercial Appeal. I chose to write on… Read More »Guest Post on Jesus’ Prayers
I’d like to start with two questions. First, how many of you have a “black sheep” in the family, a misfit in the family, a crazy uncle or a wild brother or a weird sister or an unusual grandparent? Second, how many of you talked about that black sheep recently at a meal? In the New York Times Margo Kaufman writes about holiday family meals: “When families gather around the holiday table for the traditional feast, there is traditionally one person who is conspicuous by either absence or presence. Male or female, rich or poor, married or single, young or old, teetotaler or alcoholic – this person is often the object of ridicule, pity, envy, awe, fear, scorn, embarrassment or secret admiration, for as the proverb goes: ‘There is a black sheep in every fold.‘”[1] Thanksgiving and Christmas may be times when we are especially reminded of our family’s “black sheep.” Most of us have one or two and when we get together for holiday meals our conversation inevitably turns to them.Read More »A Christmas Family Tree: Reprehensible Relatives (Matt. 1:1-17) Chris Altrock – December 18, 2011