Category Guest Posts

Unlikely Heroes

Todd R Leave a comment

Blogger Mitch Teemley posted this amazing compilation of human creativity and compassion at work! Check it out and it will make your day.  Click on the view original post link below.

mitchteemley's avatarMitch Teemley

Not all heroes wear uniforms. Some simply wear their hearts on their sleeves. They may do nothing more than smile when they see someone in need of a smile. But make no mistake — in those moments, they are heroes. And as long as we have both kinds of heroes, likely and unlikely, there’ll be hope for the human race.

Click on any image to enlarge it, read caption, or begin slide show.

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#widowsandorphans

Todd R 2 Comments

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” – James 1:27

The article below is a must-read not because I know everything in it is accurate (I couldn’t possibly verify it all), but because it demonstrates how the distance between real people created by screens and the internet feeds unproductive divisiveness over things that may not even be real. Malevolent actors intentionally use the internet to pull the church apart.

God has given us all limited resources, including our time, and wants us to use all for His glory. Love for God and neighbor involves tackling real problems which is what “widows and orphans” represent in the above verse from James.

Perhaps #widowsandorphans should be the #1 trending hashtag in the church every day. Why not? There are enough real problems to go around.

How to Avoid Misinformation and Disinformation Online

“A New Leaf” – A Poem About Grace

Todd R 2 Comments

Fellow travelers,

Today, I post a poem I heard years ago, recently remembered and found online eventually. The title is “A New Leaf”, author unknown, and compares a child/teacher relationship to us and Jesus. His mercies are new every morning and every day.

“He came to my desk with a quivering lip, the lesson was done. ‘Have you a new sheet for me, dear teacher? I’ve spoiled this one.’ I took his sheet, all soiled and blotted and gave him a new one all unspotted. And into his tired heart I cried, ‘Do better now, my child.’

I went to the throne with a trembling heart; the day was done. ‘Have you a new day for me, dear Master? I’ve spoiled this one.’ He took my day, all soiled and blotted and gave me a new one all unspotted. And into my tired heart he cried, ‘Do better now, my child.'”

Stuck in a “Trench” of Doubt

Todd R Leave a comment

Facebook has a reputation as a place where people show only the best parts of their lives. It’s also known as a place where people love to argue and point out others’ faults. Can Facebook be a place where people become more authentic and at the same time, expect to meet their loving Savior? Sometimes authentic is uncomfortable, but doesn’t love require it? If Facebook “isn’t the place for it”, then what is Facebook for?

I don’t know the answer, but know it will take a lot of creativity, such as that described in article linked below, about a 2018 “concept album” called Trench from twenty øne piløts: “Overall, in Trench, Tyler Joseph describes what it means to live as a human (or Christian) in the face of brutal doubts, fear and insecurity. It can be terrifying for Christians to admit they do not fully know where they are going. We often worry doubt itself might be a sin. We want to appear in full control of our faith.” – author Clifford Stumme

You can read the full article “Twenty One Pilots’ New Album Has a Stark Lack of Faith … And That’s the Point” from Relevant Magazine here.

What do you think? What are more examples?