Archive for Christianity – Page 2

Extreme Forgiveness: Exemplary or Insane?

(Photo by Tom Fox/Reuters) Extreme forgiveness brings harsh criticism in the face of rulings, verdicts and sentences that appear unfair. For loss of life, the right punishment or exact recompense is never reached.  Therefore, how is forgiveness even possible? Texas police officer Amber Guyger entered an apartment she mistook for her own, and shot and […]

Mercedes: When the person praying looks scary

(Photo of All Hallows Roman Catholic Church, my childhood parish. From San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. http://www.sfpl.org/sfphotos When all the shouting’s done, humble goodness shines forever.  Temporary power and posturing are empty calories that disappear. But quiet strength continues to nourish decades later.  I remember Mercedes, an old woman whose last name I […]

My burden is light: when realization is a heavy load

Christianity gets bad PR from our so-called “very own.” The label “Christian” doesn’t automatically make one Christ-like. You’re not a financial expert just because you play Sudoku numbers.   Many outsiders stereotype Christianity as inflexible, judgmental, harsh, exclusive, and self-righteous. In one sense, they are right. Christianity has been hijacked to a public and perverse […]

My husband fell from a ladder: a cautionary tale

March 24, 2019 David’s in the hospital. He fell off a ladder in Falmouth trying to clean the roof of our home. Eight feet up, he was trying to scrape lichen off the roof when the ladder slipped back.  He fell face first, his nose hitting the rung of the ladder, leaving multiple facial fractures.  […]

Love Your Enemies: A huge leap to emotional neutrality

Enemies.  “Does it count as saving someone’s life if you just refrain from killing them?”   I laughed at this meme on Gina Valley’s Instagram.  Now I’m not plotting murder or mayhem, but several times a day, the TV spews felony stupidity that deepens our national divide. Who wants to love their enemies?  “Not I,” […]