Father Snort

Sharing the light of our faith is not something we force on others. Rather, it is something we offer...without threats or condemnation.

An unintended consequence of religion is that we sometimes seek to control God rather than be changed by him. We are invited instead to live God's life of love, a life of faith, justice, mercy, and love.

The second coming of Christ is often described in frightening ways. Remember, the same Jesus who was here will be the Jesus who returns. Wait his coming with joy.

God's kingdom has, in it's very nature, aspects of God's own character woven into it. All of creation is made of love, forgiveness, and invitation. Such is life in God's kingdom.

We love God, and in many ways, we end up living out a love of other things more than a love of God. Loving God with everything we have, we live out the love of God in everything we do.

Living lives of love is never in vain. We may not fix all the problems of the world; we can't, but we can love others and sooth suffering. Doing so is never in vain, even though evil will persist. If all we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.

Jesus told his disciples to love one another. How are we doing day in and day out at living Jesus' command to love?

Lent is a wonderful kind of mini-desert in which we get to grow closer to God.

God loves us enough to ask us to be his voice, his hands, and his feet. The Gospel is the tie that binds us, not any one leader.

God can be revealed to us in any place at any time when the eyes of our hearts are opened to his presence.

As the bride of Christ, the church will never be abandoned by God. Further, the church cannot be divided (as much as we may try). Jesus has one bride, not many, and we are all part of one church, whether we believe it or act like it.

John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Part of repenting and receiving God's forgiveness also involves forgiving others. To do so, we must offer up our anger and fear to God.

Times may seem bad (wars, violence, etc.), but the new birth of creation is still to come. God has not forsaken us.

We are asked to love God and each other. Our religion is supposed to help us do these two things. Sometimes, however, we place too much importance on the religion itself, neglecting God and each other.

Like little children who don't want to go to sleep, we often want things that may not be best for us. If we trust in God's way of life for us, we just might find life to be better than when we follow our own ways.

Jesus' healing of two gentile people, simply by speaking the words of their healing, shows us something of who Jesus is, what true faith is, and how God has given us freedom.

Solomon asks God for wisdom in order to rule Israel well. For what might we ask God in order to serve God's people well in our own ways.

From 2 Samuel 11:1-15, David's affair with Bathsheba: We all make poor dicisions which hurt those around us. By lying about them or trying to cover them up, we merely compound the problem. On the other hand, by admitting our faults and seeking reconciliation, we can be freed of our bad decisions.

David danced before the Lord not caring if he looked like a fool. All too often, we allow our fears of what others may think to keep us from dancing with joy before the Lord (literally or metaphorically). What about our faith brings us joy and how might we "dance" before the Lord?

Endurance in our faith will carry us through difficult times.