A few years ago, I discovered a song by Janis Joplin called “Mercedes Benz.” The lyrics go something like this (and you can listen along here): Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amendsWorked hard all my lifetime, no help from
If there is a movie out there that shows the consequences of putting celebrity, wealth, and material possessions above all else, it’s Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring. Based on Nancy Jo Sales’ article in Vanity Fair, “The Subjects Wore Louboutins,” The Bling Ring attempts to tell the real-life story of
As we begin to think about what life may look like after a global pandemic (even while we are still dealing with the pandemic, at least in the U.S.), it can be very tempting to fall into “going back to normal.” This is especially true for those of us who
Note: This is a guest post written by Zach Labagh, Pastor at Allegheny Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mohnton, PA. In the last few months, due to the pandemic, I found myself and my family changing how we function completely. Our calendar that was full has now diminished to online and
Note: This is a guest post written by Matt Kendziera. When Jesus Walked After beginning his ministry with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” Jesus walked down the mountain and didn’t stop walking for the better part of two chapters. He strolled
On March 7, we left to go on an 8-day cruise to the Caribbean for a planned family vacation. At that point, the coronavirus (COVID-19) had been spreading in other countries and there were a few cases on the West Coast of the U.S. Since there were no travel recommendations
Lately, I’ve been reading through Psalms and Proverbs for my regular Bible devotions. And I came across this Bible verse: Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life. Proverbs 1:19 (New Living Translation) I was immediately struck by this verse, since as
I once lived in a geographic area in which there was always one “cool” or trendy church. It was the church that everyone and their mother– literally– went to for worship. No matter where you were in town, you heard about what was going on at this church. The interesting
“New year, new you.” This phrase is pretty much everywhere when a new year rolls around. The beginning of a new year seems like a natural time to start fresh and make some beneficial changes in our lives. Yet 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail. We assume that it being
A few years ago, a pastor colleague of mine mentioned to me an interesting conversation he had recently with a church member. This church member asked him if he had any siblings. He responded, briefly describing the birth order of each of his multiple siblings. The church member then asked