-
Continue reading →: The Galilee Region, First Day
View from the Mt. of Beatitudes What a day! We started early. Hannah, our guide, likes to get an early start so we were on the bus by 7:30 a.m. I was misinformed yesterday, instead of beginning with the Galilee boat ride, we started at the Mount of Beatitudes.…
-
Continue reading →: From Lebanon to Tiberias
Normally, when someone talks about a journey from Lebanon to Tiberias, they would be talking about a relatively short land trip of about a hundred miles between the nation of Lebanon in the Middle East and Tiberius, a city in northern Israel on the Sea of Galilee. But, not in…
-
Continue reading →: Easter People are Happy People
I’ve spent quite a bit of the past year thinking about death. I know, that’s terribly depressing, isn’t it? My Dad died last year, during Lent, actually, Maundy Thursday, to be exact. He suffered for a relatively brief period of time from an extraordinarily rare form of brain cancer that…
-
Continue reading →: On Maundy Thursday
Maundy is a funny word. We use this word to describe today, the day Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. We use it is because on this night Jesus told his disciples: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you…
-
Continue reading →: Who Needs Crucifixion?
This post is my Ash Wednesday meditation based on Mark 15:1-15. It is the first message in a series titled "Cross-Purposes." This is our series for Lent. “And they cried out again, ‘Crucify him!’” Mark 15:13 (ESV) Lent is a season of forty days (not including Sundays) leading to the…
-
Continue reading →: Jesus’ Purpose Statement
There are several places in the Gospels where Jesus explicitly states the purpose of his ministry. One that comes to mind is Luke 19:10: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Another is John 10:10: “I came that they may have life and have it…
-
Continue reading →: The Pursuit of Happiness
Everyone wants happiness. From observing people, including myself, this seems unassailably true. Have you ever met a person who did not pursue happiness? We all know people who consistently make choices that guarantee their unhappiness, but from their perspective, they still want to be happy. They desire happiness. They mistakenly…
-
Continue reading →: Free Speech and Religion
The cartoonists and editors of the French magazine “Charlie Hebdo” were and are, as far as I can tell, secularists. They are equal opportunity offenders. Not only did they publish material that was an affront to committed Muslims, but just before this past Christmas they promoted anti-Christian, particularly, anti-Roman Catholic…
-
Continue reading →: Happy Epiphany!
Today is Epiphany. Christians celebrate the manifestation of the Incarnate God, the Son, to the Wise Men, thus the physical manifestation of Jesus to Gentiles. Why is this day important? Well, I think it does two things for us. First, it reminds us that Jesus was Jewish. The very idea…
-
Continue reading →: Optimism in the New Year
“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” – Bill Vaughan Jesus is an optimist. When he looks at us he doesn’t focus on our problems, he sees our potential! The turn of a new…
Hello,
I’m Chris
Welcome to Flourishing Life, a space designed to help you pursue the abundant life God offers everyone. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (ESV). I’m convinced God created the world for flourishing human life. However, we’ve all contributed to the brokenness in the world and our own lives. Many don’t even realize a better way is possible. My hope for this blog is that you’ll discover the life God has always intended for you, the ones you love, and the world.
Flourishing Life 