Imagine people 2000 years from now studying Christianity. What would they say about us? What is important to us? They would have to conclude that buildings are very important to us, and what happens in those buildings on Sunday mornings is also very important to us. Take away the building and Sunday morning, and someContinue reading “What future societies might say about American Christians in 2016”
Author Archives: Joel Kime
Could Lancaster County Tourism Destroy our church?*
Imagine this scenario with me: we receive a disturbing letter in the mail. And by “we”, I mean Faith Church. Say it is a letter from a joint meeting of the Lancaster County Planning Commission and the East Lampeter Township Supervisors. The letter details how they have been studying traffic flow on our road, OldContinue reading “Could Lancaster County Tourism Destroy our church?*”
Angry about taxes or money? How a widow can help!
Last week we looked at Jesus’ comment “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God was is God’s.” How many of you gave money unto “Caesar” this week as you filed your taxes? Michelle and I did. It is almost always an agonizing process for me. When I work on taxes, I couldContinue reading “Angry about taxes or money? How a widow can help!”
How to handle confrontation
Spies, taxes, a woman with seven husbands, and the most intelligent man in the world. That pretty much sums up the next story in our ongoing series on Luke’s Gospel, which you can read about in Luke 20:20-40. In the story, Jesus is in the final days of his life, and he has bunkered downContinue reading “How to handle confrontation”
Spies, Taxes, a woman with 7 husbands & the most intelligent man who ever lived
The most intelligent person who ever lived? Albert Einstein? Marilyn vos Savant? King Solomon? Leonardo Da Vinci? Stephen Hawking? Shakespeare? Newton? Mozart? Marie Curie? I researched a bunch of “Most Intelligent People in the History of the World” lists, and there are plenty more candidates. There are lots of opinions as to who should beContinue reading “Spies, Taxes, a woman with 7 husbands & the most intelligent man who ever lived”
How Jesus can help you get out of a lose-lose situation – Luke 20:1-18
One of our Faith Church members who is in the military responded to my Facebook question asking if people have ever been in a lose-lose situation. She said this: “In 2011 I was finishing my language training with the military. Half way through we take an exam to see our progress. The problem is thatContinue reading “How Jesus can help you get out of a lose-lose situation – Luke 20:1-18”
Getting out of a Lose – Lose Situation
Ever been in a lose-lose situation? They make you feel trapped. No answer seems good. Mutually Assured Destruction. You shoot an arsenal of nuclear bombs at me, and I will shoot my arsenal of nuclear bombs at you. Boom. Not a good solution. What about other lose-lose situations that are more a part of ourContinue reading “Getting out of a Lose – Lose Situation”
How to find fulfillment from that inner empty feeling
It is hard to be satisfied deep within. Psychologists call this the empty self. There is within most of us a dissatisfaction. We seek to fill that with consumer goods or with food, hobbies, vacations or thrills. Sometimes we seek to fill that inner longing with addictive behaviors. We can also seek fulfillment by accomplishingContinue reading “How to find fulfillment from that inner empty feeling”
Saying No to invitations
I’ve been invited to a bunch of banquets lately, and interestingly enough they are all great, and they are all on the same weekend, April 21-23. It is unique that they all ended up at around the same time, but it is not unique to get invited to banquets. Have you noticed that there areContinue reading “Saying No to invitations”
4 Reasons Palm Sunday is Really Weird – Luke 19:28-48
Amid the boisterous singing, palm branch waving, and hosanna shouting, Palm Sunday is actually really strange. Yesterday we took a look at Luke’s account of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry on the original Palm Sunday, which you can read about in Luke 19:28-48, and we found four odd elements of this famous story: a king riding aContinue reading “4 Reasons Palm Sunday is Really Weird – Luke 19:28-48”
Engaging Scripture 