298 results for tag: Quote for today

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

February 9, 2023 - Quote for the Day: “Healthy faith has Jesus and the grace, mercy and love of God at its core.  The Prince of peace is himself a river of living water (John 7:37-38), the spiritual Bread from heaven (John 6:37) and our healing Savior who leads us to his rest. Whereas healthy faith is Christ-centered, unhealthy faith is centered on regulations and rituals, on formulas, traditions and ceremonies.  Unhealthy faith (Christ-less religion) is often built on the teachings of a man or woman who founded a religion.  Unhealthy faith may use and appropriate the name of Jesus, while denying who he is.  Sadly, ...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

February 7, 2023 - Quote for the Day: “Many markets and outlets within Christendom are consumer-driven – they will give us what we want.  They have done the studies.  They are well aware of demographics and psychographics.  Religious marketing experts know all about you.  They know your preferences, your likes and dislikes.  They also know what you would enjoy if you could afford it or if you had the time. Religious corporations and institutions have done their homework about felt needs, as well.  They know that humans want lists, programs and self-help manuals.  Human beings are pragmatic. &...

Reflections along the Jesus Way

February 5, 2023 -Quote for the Day: “The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a ‘you do this and then I will do that’ message. The new covenant God offers to us is not a covenant of physical prosperity, but instead it is a covenant of adversity.  We are asked to consider the needs of others as equal to our own.”  Originally published in: Between Religious Rocks and Life’s Hard Places ------------------------------------- Help Us Help Others - Give Now

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

February 2, 2023 - Quote for the Day “Love is the one-word definition of God.  God is love, he is not filled with wrath, therefore: God the Father was not looking for payback from God the Son at the cross There is no such thing as eternal conscious torment in hell God is not mad at you and me, and God does not expect us to do the impossible, which would be to earn and deserve his love.”   Originally published in: Letters to My Friends ------------------------------------- Help Us Help Others - Give Now

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 31, 2023 - Quote for the Day “Grace is a multi-layered word.  Its many definitions add rich perspectives and significance to our lives.  Grace speaks of abundance and gratitude, of charm and inner beauty, of harmony, mercy and forgiveness.  We say grace before a meal.  A dance or figure skater is graceful.  When a dept is owed and a bill is due, grace periods are offered before penalties begin.  The world of music speaks of grace notes.”  Originally published in: Wonders of His Grace ------------------------------------- Help Us Help Others - Give Now

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 29, 2023 - Quote for the Day “Christ-less religion has always attempted to eliminate authentic Christianity.  Religion has opposed authentic Christians during the course of history.  Religion attempts to bypass or improve upon Jesus – to modify and even counterfeit him and offer a false gospel and bogus salvation in the process.  Jesus sets us free from all such encumbrances that weigh us down, allowing us to love, comfort and reach out to everyone – including refugees who have suffered at the hands of religion.  Authentic Christianity teaches that God loves the whole world, while oppressive religion teaches ...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 26, 2023 - Quote for the Day “Here, in a tiny little backwater town of Bethlehem, our Creator, the Prince of Peace arrived looking more like a little prune-faced pauper than an adorable Gerber baby born into comfort, safety and hygiene.  The first Christmas was a long way from the adorable depictions of baby Jesus we see today, in front yards, on Christmas trees and over the mantle of fireplaces.  2000 years later Jesus has been, in the popular version that is taught and imbibed, adorable, repackaged and shrink-wrapped.”  Originally published in: Christianity Without the Religion magazine, November ...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 24, 2023 - Quote for the Day “My computer screen flickered for a moment, and then the video my friend from Indiana sent me started to play.  An ordinary guy was sitting in front of his computer screen – he looked at me and said: ‘I got an email the other day which said … Jesus loves you.’ Ordinary guy thought, ‘that’s nice,’ but then he read the rest of the email which said…If you don’t start doing what Jesus says you’re going to burn in hell forever.’ Ordinary guy pondered…‘So, this love Jesus has for me is conditional. I can understand that.  Love has conditions attached.  ...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 22, 2023 - Quote for the Day “In both his behavior and his teachings Jesus reached out to the downtrodden, offering healing and grace to all those in bondage.  He pierced through the crippling aggression of the rich and the slavery of religious power brokers.  Jesus flipped the script of what is fair and just, upending traditional ethical assumptions and religious traditions.  The Beatitudes then seemed so illogical and counter-intuitive and they still do.  Jesus’ teaching reveals the eternal and divine value of vulnerability in the face of danger and gentleness in the face of hatred.”  Origina...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 19, 2023 -Quote for the Day “When truth is fixed, reality adapts to unequivocal, eternal verities.  When truth is no longer truth, and every opinion equal, then subjective decisions are more likely to be accepted and tolerated.  Every generation that seeks to right all wrongs, finds itself battling with the unsettling reality that others in the past differed, and the notion past generations may have had it more ‘right’ than we do now is not only inconvenient, it is a painful and disconcerting possibility.  So why not reject such notions for ‘convenient truth?’”  Originally published in: C...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 17, 2023 - Quote for the Day “In a sad but twisted irony, religion not only seduces and deceives its followers (addicts and slaves), but it assures them that they need to endure misery and abuse in order to please and appease God.  What a travesty!  Religious legalism has turned many of its followers into the walking dead.”  Originally published in: Unplugging from Religion – Connecting With God ------------------------------------- Help Us Help Others - Give Now

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 15, 2023 - Quote for the Day “… running around in circles, so consumed with doing and fulfilling religious duties that there is little time to do anything else, let alone think, does not equate to following Jesus Christ… One can think that the highways and byways of Christ-less religion are paths of pleasing and appeasing God, while being absolutely deceived about who God actually is.  I was once making excellent progress on a narrow road that was in reality the broad road Jesus spoke of, but in terms of following Jesus I was going nowhere fast.”  Originally published in: Letters to My Friends – Our ...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 12, 2023 - Quote for the Day “We don’t pay our own way into the kingdom of heaven.  There is no way to honor the Son, no way to accept the invitation, on our terms.  There is nothing we can do.  We can’t buy a ticket – the invitation is free, without charge.  We can’t get in the back door of the kingdom of heaven as a result of purchasing a pass through a religious power broker. It doesn’t matter how ‘true’ your church is – your church can’t give you a pass into the kingdom of heaven.  You may belong to one of the many ‘only true churches’ I have run across in my ministry, but that ...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 10, 2023 - Quote for the Day “For God so loved the world challenges us because we naturally want to think that God only loves us … or at least, he loves us more. But if he loves the whole world then that means he loves everyone, just as much as he loves you and me!”  Originally published in: Wonders of His Love ------------------------------------- Help Us Help Others - Give Now

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 8, 2023 - Quote for the Day “If Jesus showed up today in our towns and cities, in our schools and courtrooms, in our cafes and malls, and yes, in our churches – would we recognize him?  Would he resemble what our churches have taught us?  Would religion welcome him?”  Originally published in: Between Religious Rocks and Life’s Hard Places ------------------------------------- Help Us Help Others - Give Now

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 5, 2023 -- Quote for the Day “Some people have been spiritually crippled all their lives and know no other reality.  They have been taught to fear and distrust everyone outside of their group, and they don’t want to be released from the comfort of their closeted world.”  Originally published in: Bad News Religion ------------------------------------- Help Us Help Others - Give Now

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 3, 2023 -- Quote for the Day “The baby had created the universe, but he had voluntarily left the pristine perfection of eternity in favor of the mud and filth of that stable – and the dust and grime of the world he would inhabit as he grew up.  He chose to come as a baby who would later be delivered via the birth canal and then later spiritually deliver not only Mary, the one who had physically delivered him, but ALL mankind, including those who tortured and crucified him.”  Originally published in: Christianity Without the Religion magazine, December 2022 Christianity Without the Religion Magazine ...

Reflections Along the Jesus Way

January 1, 2023 -- Quote for the Day “We don’t impress God with our religious juggling, our spiritual dances, our religious hand-jive, ballet or soft-shoe.  He doesn’t award us spiritual points based on our gymnastic religious performances.   He intervenes in our lives, lavishing us with his grace, based on his goodness, not ours. Think of the wise men from the East who came to visit the newborn Jesus.  One day they were leading a normal life, doing their astronomical calculations, consulting their star charts, putting in a 9-5 day, washing their camels and eating dinner with the family at night.  They ...