“Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator—individuality, power to think and to do. The men in whom this power is developed are the men who bear responsibilities,…
Category: Family
Issues relating to family relationships, sex, gender roles/distinctions and more.
Male and Female, In His likeness
The creation story, God creating Mankind in His own image and likeness, is retold often in the Bible. We need to hear it even more often these days as our identity is hid deeply within that story. In Genesis one…
The Gift of Voice and Self-Distrust
“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.” Is 5:21 One of the signs of moral maturity is self-distrust. We have learned we can be wrong, especially when we thing we are…
Burying or Bearing Institutions
I have gone to or worked in schools, colleges and universities for over 45 years. I have attended church for over 50 years. I have been in a family for all my life. These three great social institutions have sustained…
Plan B — God’s Glorious Reinstatement of Humans as Co-Leaders
“They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.” Revelation 14: God created humans with his divine image imprinted and implanted in us. And that was just…
8 Areas or Ways to Improve Your Teaching and Learning
We can improve learning, ours and others. We can!!!! As an Adventist university teacher I feel deeply my inadequacy to teach and to learn. I get overwhelmed with how little I have learned and how limited the development of those…
Conversation, Community and the Creativity that Cares
“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures…
Judgment’s Cure for Judgmentalism
Somewhere in my teens I developed a deep judgmentalism. I can’t blame my family. My parents gave us lots of freedom, were very non-judgmental and their positions as a teacher and a nurse, gave them skills of nurturing. I can’t…
7 Rests Worth Entering
I had one of those four and a half hour nights recently. I was running low on energy and high on bad attitude the next day. The next night was different. 7-8 hours of sleep does wonders for me. It…
Authority in Ethics–Introduction (1)
The word “authority” does not usually breed warm feelings. People picture a prickly boss or government official rigidly applying a law or abusing power. Most fear freedoms will be taken away and rights violated when the “trump” card of authority…
The Prodigal Son’s Father has Love….and Food
The story of the family with a Prodigal Son and Elder Brother (Luke 15:11-32 ) is a favorite parable. It continues to dazzle our understandings about God, ourselves and the human race. It teaches us a lot about moral living.…
Right vs Righteous
He was the paragon of perfection. He was the epitome of the Jewish lifestyle well lived. He honored his parents, managed his money well, worked hard six days a week and rested the Seventh. He controlled his anger and was…
Resolutions & Regrets: A New Year
What are you plans for 2015? Finish a degree? Get married? Have children? Help the children you have? Travel more? Survive cancer? A web site tracking resolutions list the top 10 as: Lose weight Get organized Spend Less. Save More.…
Speaking the Truth in Love—Body Anger
Our group at church has been going through the small group DVD series by Chip Ingram, Overcoming Emotions that Destroy: Practical Help for Those Angry Feelings That Ruin Relationships. As with other Ingram DVD’s series, his ideas have been well-received…
Three Stories that Frame the Moral Life: God’s, Satan’s, and Yours
The following is longer than usual and Adapted from a talk given at Andrews Academy, Sept 9, 2014…. Seniors, Thank you for letting me talk with you on your special day. Your motto “Bene in Christo” is in Latin.…
They Follow Me
One of the great temptations in life is to think you are the ultimate leader, you are in control of the ultimate outcomes, and to forget there is a God, and you are not Him. The other great temptation is…
Why God created marriage and Satan Hates it?
The Bible gives overwhelming support for the institution of marriage as the union of a man and woman. From Genesis 1-3 through Song of Solomon to the teachings of Christ in the Gospels to the dominant metaphor in Revelation, we…