Posts Tagged ‘holiness’
Holiness is a Pursuit
It is likely that one of the least understood and most abused words in the English language is “holy.” On one end of the spectrum, we find extreme sanctimonious, “holier than thou” religious snobbery, while the other end of the spectrum houses the use of “holy” as something of an expletive. Just as often, “holy”…
Read MoreBe Holy
Where scripture is concerned, saying it one time is sufficient, but when we are instructed repeatedly1 to engage the same behavior, we can safely reference that as a biblical mandate. “Be holy, for I am holy.” But what does that even mean? In truth, “holy” is such a simple term, but is has been so misused,…
Read MoreTelling God How It Is
Telling God How It Is More than once I have had that curious conversation with a young-to-middle-aged man or woman who has decided that they are displeased and disapproving of the way God is running the universe. If you have not had one of these conversations, you need to do so. Get that on your…
Read MoreWhen You Pray . . . (Part 3)
Two weeks ago we began our examination of Jesus’ response to his disciples’ request that he teach them to pray the way John taught his disciples to pray. We made it as far as “Our Father.” That examination continues below. Hallowed Be Thy Name I have written previously of the time my eldest son was…
Read MoreFive Attributes of Our Relentless Pursuit of Holiness
“Holy non-sequiturs, Batman!” exclaimed Robin. Burt Ward (Robin) proclaimed holiness over more tangible items and bizarre circumstances than my feeble mind can dream up or imagine, addressing targets ranging from “Holy Agility” to “Holy Zoro.” Wikipedia notes 368 “Holy ___ ” exclamations made by Ward over the three seasons the original Batman series ran (1966-1968).…
Read MoreStaining Agent or Stain?
I have been thinking (and discussing with a friend) recently about the idea of being influenced as opposed to being an influencer. Those who study group and interpersonal dynamics sometimes speak of men and women who are natural leaders, and others who are natural followers. One with such a viewpoint would classify the leaders as…
Read More