A Conversation with the Disciples
What were you doing three days ago? If you’re reading this on the day it is first posted, then today is Friday. What were you doing this past Tuesday? What kind of day was it for you? Did anything happen that changed the trajectory of your week? Do you remember any specific conversations you had with Jesus that day? Did you read any specific passages of scripture that stuck in your mind?
Jesus, Peter, and a Charcoal Fire
“It smells burny in here. Why?” These were my first words to my husband as I walked into the living room one morning this week. Having forgotten that he lit three candles on the table a couple of feet from where he was sitting, he just stared at me blankly. I went into investigative mode until we both realized what was burning and laughed.
Jesus, Peter, and a Few Fish
Recently we were watching a movie in which the husband (played by Paul Bettany) suddenly turned on his wife, mocking and belittling her. My stomach churned as I thought about what it would be like to be in such an intimate relationship with someone who made fun of you like that. A few minutes later in the movie, Bettany’s character stands in the doorway and says in an emotionless voice, “I’m a monster, I’m horrible.” Bettany did a masterful job of acting like someone acting like they’re sorry when they’re not.
Two Followers Encounter Jesus – Part 2
It’s often the case that we feel quite certain about our belief in God in the “macro” – He created the universe, He knows all things, He is able to work all things together for good . . . but when it comes to the “micro,” there seems to be a disconnect in my pain, in my doubt, in my struggle, and the thoughts begin to creep in: Does God really see me and know what’s going on?
Two Followers Encounter Jesus – Part 1
It dawned on me this year that the initial reactions to the resurrection we find in the gospels were not victorious joy and overwhelming relief and amazement. They were characterized by sadness, confusion, fear, and doubt. In this story, we find two people trying to make sense out of it all. God was up to something so far beyond their imagination, but they were focused on the part they knew.
Mary Magdalene Encounters Jesus
We at MEI spend a lot of our time talking to global workers about the difficulties they encounter while pouring their lives out for the sake of the gospel. Men and women – for whom the world is not worthy – die to themselves, take up their cross, and follow Christ into some very dark places. Many of these precious people are confronted with the realities of grief and struggle to know how to sit in the pain without running away. In our passage today, we get a glimpse into how Mary Magdalene started to process her pain.
