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Mother was a force of nature. She was a whirlwind of energy. She was everyone’s friend and confessor. Everyone loved “Mrs. Lew.” Which was interesting because it was my father, “Mr. Lew,” who was gentle and accepting, with a marvelous sense of humor and a generosity of spirit. Dad was the same man at the
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By the time the people of Israel left Egypt and wandered forty years in the desert, they had been without a homeland for five centuries. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants–the Twelve Tribes of Israel–had been nomads, then slaves in Egypt. They wandered forty years in the desert. Now, at last, they had arrived at
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In the Sixth Chapter of Matthew, Jesus instructs us on prayer. He begins by suggesting we retire to a quiet place. Shut out the echoes of 2023. Close the door on 2024 celebrations. He ends by emphasizing the need for forgiveness. That’s difficult in these times of political and geopolitical conflict. The central verses contain
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The book of Acts, Chapter Nine, tells the story of a female disciple in Joppa named Tabitha. What is surprising about this particular passage is that the woman is named. Most women are nameless in the New Testament. They do the work. Men get the publicity. Tabitha is a widow of means. Her financial state
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“You are the salt of the earth.” That’s what Jesus tells his disciples and the crowd surrounding him in the Sermon on the Mount. His word choice is interesting. He doesn’t say you “could be” or “should be” or “must be.” He says, “You are….” Three elements of salt lend themselves to this metaphor.
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The fifth chapter of Luke tells a familiar story, the calling of three humble fishermen: Simon Peter, and the sons of Zebedee, James and John. They seem unlikely choices. They weren’t scholars versed in the Torah or successful business men capable of funding Christ’s ministry. They weren’t skilled public speakers. They didn’t have degrees in
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Parables. Most people are familiar with parables because of the teachings of Jesus. In the gospel of Luke, for example, a member of the crowd asked Jesus for a little help. The man’s story is a familiar story. In ancient times, the first born son inherited the whole enchilada. Other family members got bupkis. (I’m
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There’s a curious moment in the Gospel of Luke (9:51-62). Jesus and his entourage were on their way to Jerusalem, His final journey. He sent messengers to a Samaritan village to arrange accommodations, but residents denied them hospitality. When James and John heard about this, they offered “to call fire down from heaven to destroy
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The Parable of the Rich Fool a familiar story found in the book of Luke. A farmer is so successful that he can’t fit all the harvest into his barns. He decides to build bigger barns, but that night he dies before he can. Here’s the thing, when I first heard the story, I didn’t
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Who are the possessed in your life? We don’t get many chances to talk about demonic possession these days. In the bible there are only seven references to it. Then in the 1950s, demonic possession went out of vogue. The Catholic church, for example, downplayed the idea. Some leaders believed they needed to modernize their
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