I first got glasses in 3rd grade, and then contacts since I was 16 yrs old. My eyes are terribly near-sighted. If I don’t have my contacts in or my glasses on, it feels like my entire world is out of focus, a blur. For the last couple years I’ve also needed reading glasses. ContactsContinue reading “Corrective lenses and the church – 1 Corinthians 12:12–31, Part 3”
Tag Archives: body
What you can learn from that part of your body you don’t like – 1 Corinthians 12:12–31, Part 2
Do you have a part of your body that you don’t like? Some people don’t like feet. Another famously disdained part of the body is the nose. I suspect that nearly all humans have a part of their body they don’t like. That fact is what Paul talks about in 1st Corinthians 12:12. First, PaulContinue reading “What you can learn from that part of your body you don’t like – 1 Corinthians 12:12–31, Part 2”
Do you feel the Holy Spirit passed you by when handing out gifts? – 1 Corinthians 12:12–31, Part 1
A person once told me they felt they didn’t have any spiritual gifts. I wonder if you have ever felt that way? You look around church on a Sunday morning, and it is easy to just see teachers, worship leaders, singers, musicians, and preachers. Did God pass you by? Are some gifts more important thanContinue reading “Do you feel the Holy Spirit passed you by when handing out gifts? – 1 Corinthians 12:12–31, Part 1”
How thoroughly God wants us to be changed – 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28, Part 3
In our study this week through 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28, Paul writes that God desires to thoroughly our whole being: spirit, soul, and body. God wants all of it to be blameless. There have long been debates among Christian theologians about what the writers of Scripture meant by spirit and soul. Body we get. We engageContinue reading “How thoroughly God wants us to be changed – 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28, Part 3”
Christians, stop trying to control other people’s bodies – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 3
This week on the blog, we’re studying 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, and in that passage, Paul’s main theme is that Christians are people who are living more and more to please God. The theological word he uses is that we are to be sanctified. In the previous post, I talk about what “sanctified” means. In today’sContinue reading “Christians, stop trying to control other people’s bodies – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 3”
What does it mean to be sanctified? – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 2
As one who preaches and teaches for a living, I have wrestled with how pushy to be in my sermons. Or in lessons. Or in written communication. And not just in large groups, but also one-on-one. I’ve heard that we shouldn’t guilt people into doing things. I agree with that. We shouldn’t manipulate them, orContinue reading “What does it mean to be sanctified? – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 2”
What matters more than what you put in or on your body – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 1
What kinds of substances is God okay with you putting in your body? What kinds of clothing does God want you to wear on your body? Or rather, how much of your body is God okay with your leaving uncovered by clothing? What kinds of images can you look at? What words can you say? Continue reading “What matters more than what you put in or on your body – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 1”
God’s view of outward appearance is like Dove Soap – 1st Samuel 16, Part 2
We humans tend to be very outward focused. Think about how our culture is fixated on outward appearance. There is so much emphasis on having good skin, toned muscles, a certain Body Mass Index, dieting, working out. No doubt some of that is also beneficial for good health and quality of life. But we can worshipContinue reading “God’s view of outward appearance is like Dove Soap – 1st Samuel 16, Part 2”
How (and why) God wants you to care for your body – Ezekiel 40-44, Part 4
I love watching videos of chiropractors giving people adjustments, hearing the loud cracks. I don’t quite know why, but something in me finds it fascinating. After watching a variety of chiropractors use similar techniques, I asked my wife if I could give her an adjustment. She said, “No way!” I was kidding, kinda. I haveContinue reading “How (and why) God wants you to care for your body – Ezekiel 40-44, Part 4”
Does your body have a soul? – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 3
Does the body have a soul? Let’s talk about that. As we continue learning about embodiment during this fourth week of Advent, while we’re focusing on our physical or material side, what about the spiritual or immaterial side of humanity? Religion tends to emphasize the spiritual side. What we’ve been learning, though, is that ChristiansContinue reading “Does your body have a soul? – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 3”
Engaging Scripture 