"love" Tagged Touchpoints

"love" Tagged Touchpoints

Love Before Purity

“Our rituals indeed serve a purpose, but they outlive their usefulness when it comes down to living in the reality of love and family. The demand for rituals and traditions as prerequisites can become an obstacle to intimacy with the divine—the sacred in all things, especially the intrinsic belonging of humanity to each other, the earth, and to God.”
Touchpoint: What should we do? Watercolor painting of John the Baptist looking at brood of vipers

The Good Bad News

“Am I more disturbed that John’s words predict a God of love cutting fruitless trees down and burning them then the suffering of those around me? What weighs heavier on me, the threat to my theology concerning John’s image of a punishing God, or those mentioned who are cold and hungry?”
Touchpoint: The Widow's Offering; watercolor image of tree with deep roots

Love Economy

Grace and peace to you from the Mystery in whom we live and move, and have our being. The widow’s offering. “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:38-44 The Widow’s Offering “It is a strange and lovely thing…

Sami and the Scribe

Grace and peace to you from the Mystery in whom we live, move, and have our being. The first commandment. The First Commandment Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater…
A group of people walking together in a peaceful landscape, representing unity, compassion, and spiritual oneness.

The Assunder Blunder

“Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 2 Some,[a] testing him, asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father…

Tattle Tails and Stumbling Blocks

Grace and peace to you from the Christ who calls us to walk the path of love, who dwells in all things, and through whom we bear the name of life and light. 38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,[a] and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon…
A silhouette of a person standing with arms outstretched, holding broken chains, against a dramatic sky with a glowing light behind them, symbolizing liberation and freedom.

Name, Image, and Likeness

May the light of the Liberator guide your path, grounding you in truth and love. Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly…
Touchpoint: Walk as children of light. Image of young boy gazing at a lightbulb with question marks on a chalkboard behind him

Alluring Wisdom

“When have we ever thought wisdom was sexy the way it is written in Proverbs and in the Song of Solomon? Perhaps it’s because today’s leaders prefer fearful, servile, dependent followers to do their bidding. If that sounds familiar…it’s the premise for the movie, ‘Minions’. Passion to to serve others, think measured, and be kind do not make an attractive vote-getter for the restless. Wisdom is not alluring as described in Solomon’s writings; it is an unfortunate obligation and a duty, rather than satisfying to the soul.”
Touchpoint: Eternal Life. Watercolor of Jesus walking into heart-shaped clouds with cross in the distance

All in One and One in All

“Love has its source in God, because God is love. To love one another, means the source of love I offer the world, is also from God. If love is too much a burden to engage for me, then I have not come to know God, the source of all the love I have access. How can I understand a command to love my enemies, when I am not aware of the source of all love? Love would in some cases be a heavy burden because on our own, we have a limited capacity for love.”
Touchpoint: Abide in My Love; mosaic image of two hands folding a heart

The Way to Complete Joy

“Jesus provided the greatest command for living a life of joy, friendship, and love. He basically said, ‘I am welcoming you to abide in the agape (love of God). Bask in it and breathe it in. Be in awe of it then welcome (agapao) others. Do this as you are abiding.’”
Touchpoint "Good Shepherd"; watercolor painting by Steve Henderson of Native American watching his sheep near the Grand Canyon

All in the Game, or the Name?

“’In the name of Jesus’ to me means, In the name of the one who wears the wounds of our lives on his back. It is not magical, but it is mystical. In the name of the one whose reputation was of loving indiscriminately. In the name of the one who found a way out of no way, even through doubt and confusion. In the name of the one who has more power than any therapist suggesting I sit beside still waters. Rather, “In the name of” refers to the one who makes me lie down, in the revelation of Gods compassion, beside still waters. Even more, who is calm waters, and whose spirit restores my soul.”
Touchpoint: The Word Became Flesh. Illustration of ghostly Christ figure on a watercolor background featuring Bible verse from John 1:1.

Word Swaddling

“It is a Word that can only be birthed in humbleness. This might sound trite, but maybe that’s the problem. I’m afraid to appear simple minded to others if I say the ord. This Word is available to all of us but we see it as ineffective, inefficient, and powerless. That Word is love. In my opinion, our modern culture does not see God as Word with the same fervency as the Jews and the Greeks did.”