Bringing the Word to Life

Colossians 3:9b–13: Time for a New Wardrobe

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In the forty-five years since I gave my life to Christ, there have been many opportunities to recognize the complete transformation in my personality, priorities, and practices. Even by age 17, my life was on a trajectory of crippling anxiety, perfectionism, and isolation. If God had not pursued me and got hold of my heart, there is no telling how I might have turned out permanently. But catching me when he did, God began to remake me and reorient me towards him and towards my neighbor. The fact that this transformation started so long ago in no way diminishes my […]

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Colossians 3:5–11: “You Are Dead to Me”

1 Comment / Church, Colossians, Theological Reflection / By /

A few months ago, Andy and I spent the day with a group of singers who are going on tour in June and willing to take on a couple of oldsters as ringers. At the end of a very hard-working day, we gathered at a home for dinner. The banter and cultural references were beyond me half the time; it was the sort of party that makes you say, “I really should get out more.” Anyway, at some point during the festivities, one young woman said to someone who had been teasing, “Zorba, you are dead to me.” At the

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Colossians 3:1-4: We Get to Choose the Focus of Our Thoughts

2 Comments / Church, Citizenship, Colossians, Current Events, Death & Dying, PCUSA, People, Personal / By /

Last Saturday, my covenant group friend Steve Hayner died in the Lord. As his wife Sharol put it, his life was swallowed up in LIFE. I along with thousands of readers of his CaringBridge site, colleagues there at Columbia Seminary, and family and friends whose lives he touched in decades’ time, were aware that his homegoing was imminent. He was sick only about ten months, from diagnosis of his pancreatic cancer to the end of his life on earth. Occasionally he would share what was on his heart and mind as this process took its turns and twists. We all

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Colossians 2:16–23: You’re Not Good Enough Unless You __________

2 Comments / Church, Colossians, Food, PCUSA, Personal, Spiritual Disciplines, The Church in Exile / By /

After a sugar fast during the month of January and a rather decadent self-indulgence on Super Bowl Sunday, today began my annual discipline of calorie cutting. I have had a life-long preoccupation with food, which I do not consider a virtue but more a matter of childhood conditioning. As Erma Bombeck wrote once, “I am not a glutton; I am an explorer of food.” No, honestly, I really am a glutton and I am not proud of it and pray regularly for deliverance from this one of the seven deadly sins. In the meantime, I am vulnerable to the promises

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Colossians 2:11–15: Trust in Christ Is Completely Warranted

6 Comments / Colossians, Current Events, Theological Reflection / By /

My family and I have survived the white-knuckle viewing of yesterday’s Super Bowl game. You can guess, we were cheering for the Seahawks. Boo-hoo. It was a joy to watch, though, because the contest was close and the teams were a challenging match for each other. It also seemed to this rank amateur to be a clean game, with relatively few flags. Both teams racked up amazing accomplishments, and after the last two weeks I am actually glad for MVP Tom Brady’s victory. Well played. But football is football. It is a game, played according to detailed rules. While on

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Colossians 2:8–10: Just One Word

4 Comments / Church, Colossians, It All Started in the Garden, Teaching, The Church in Exile, Uncategorized / By /

Many years ago I saw a regional theater production of the Stephen Schwartz musical Children of Eden. A theatric rendition of the first few chapters of Genesis is certainly enough to bring me out on a Friday night! It was a fascinating interpretation of Eden, Adam and Eve, the snake, and the tragic human choice to sin against God’s will. What I remember most vividly is the form the temptation took: The Garden on stage was fenced off around the edges, defining its parameters and focusing attention on God’s realm. But soon the snake starts talking to Eve, and introduces

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Colossians 2:6–7: Life in Christ Produces Life for Christ

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Almost forty years ago, my husband Andy and I agreed to receive each other as husband and wife. We made some commitments then that have, thankfully, stood the test of time. We were young; I had just turned 22 and Andy was not far behind at 21.8 years of age. But our vows were uttered with great confidence and joy. I’ve never been more sure of a decision in my life than that one. It is not an exaggeration to say that the exchange of wedding vows was a defining moment for both of us. We were just starting out

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Colossians 2:1-5: Don’t Fall for Nice-Sounding Arguments

2 Comments / Church, Current Events, Personal, The Church in Exile / By /

Measles is a hot topic here in California. Some children, enjoying themselves at Disneyland last month, apparently were exposed to the virus, and the disease is spreading in western states. This outbreak is particularly disappointing to the Centers for Disease Control, which had declared measles eradicated in the U.S. in 2000. I remember getting measles when I was 8 or so, before the vaccine was available in the mid-1960s. The widespread use of the vaccine and firm public health policies, such as requiring proof of vaccination before entering school, all helped eradicate the illness by the turn of the millennium.

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It Takes a Village to Steer a Blog

2 Comments / Colossians, Personal / By /

I am so grateful to my readers and friends for concrete and helpful feedback about this Colossians study. We will resume the study in Chapter 2 tomorrow. In the meantime, I’d like to reflect a bit on this blogging thing with thoughts sparked by your comments. I came to realize that the blog genre is distinct for both writers and readers, who have different expectations. For the writer, blogging is an activity different from curriculum development and book writing. If I were to write a small group curriculum on Colossians, I would present the material quite differently so it could

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Pause for a Mid-Course Assessment

22 Comments / Colossians, Teaching / By /

Yesterday’s post was the twelfth in this Bible study series on Colossians. I am pausing here today to make some comments and to solicit yours. It’s time for a mid-course assessment. First, some observations: My readership has plummeted. I don’t think you can gain access to my “site stats,” but during this series my daily average readership has been just slightly over the average during periods in which I have not posted at all. Ouch. My original readership was born out of my accounts (starting in 2011) of some rather intense activity within the realm of the PC(USA), when I

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