Darkened Glass Reflections
Living today with an eye on eternity
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Where’d My Sign Go?
It seems a number of people have been upset at reports recently that the entire zodiac calendar has been thrown into disarray by an astronomer’s comments. Up until yesterday, rumor had it that my wife was a Scorpio, my son a Virgo, my daughter-in-law a Sagittarius, and my grandson and I were Libra. Well, that…
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Setting Goals
The new year is now a little less shiny. The sparkly sheen has now worn off one week in. People are no longer saying “Happy New Year” (well, one person said that to me today, but she did not see me last week). Many people have already broken their New Year’s resolutions. I have kept…
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Is Marriage Becoming Obsolete?
There has been a lot of media attention this week to a recent survey, by the Pew Research Center, which indicates that nearly four in ten adults think marriage is becoming obsolete. Such numbers can be disheartening to people, like me, who have a strong desire to stand up for traditional Judeo-Christian values. Marriage is…
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Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Looking Ahead: New Article
I just posted a new article on this site, entitled “Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Looking Ahead.“ This is the text of the sermon that I preached this morning at Half Hollow Community Church in Dix Hills, NY. The nondenominational church was celebrating its 134th anniversary, and I was asked to fill the pulpit. The minister, Rev.…
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9/11 Reflections
Grab the good opportunities in life while you can. Daniel and I missed out on visiting the World Trade Center because I wanted to wait for another day. That is a small loss compared to what others lost that day.
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Ground Zero Mosque: Why I Am Not Protesting
Personally, I do not want to see the mosque built so close to the World Trade Center site. However, there is a conflict between personal preferences, public sentiment, and the basic rights that we Americans enjoy.
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Through a Glass Darkly
The concept that believers see “through a glass darkly” should encourage us. Questions often assault our faith: “Why? What are you doing to me, God? When will you do what I thought You would?” These are the questions that shake our faith, perhaps more so than the intellectual or philosophical challenges to our faith. The…
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Passion and Passivity
“Passivity” starts with the same five letters as does “passion.” Yet, these words are virtual opposites. Someone who is passionate cannot be passive at the same time, about the same thing.
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Cheap Grace or Transforming Grace?
German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined a phrase for such a distorted understanding of grace. He called it “cheap grace.” In his classic devotional, The Cost of Discipleship, he spoke of it as preaching “forgiveness without requiring repentance,” offering “communion without confession” and “absolution without contrition.”
Darkened Glass Reflections 