Articles

If you could decide what the content and form of our periodicals would be like a year from now, what would they be? That may be a bit like asking, what is your “dream” car? For one person, the answer might well be a bright red sports car with all the bells and whistles. For another person, it might be a chauffeur-driven limousine, while another might choose the “greenest” car with the best gas mileage or highest use of new battery technologies.

The Bible gives  many examples of Jesus’ lack of prejudice. He ate with sinners and tax collectors, touched lepers, healed a Roman soldier’s servant, spoke with a Samaritan woman and her village friends, and used a Samaritan instead of a Levite or priest as an example of being a true neighbor.

Christ Jesus showed through his life and ministry God’s unconditional, impartial love for everyone. He showed that God loved the Jews and the Gentiles, the righteous, and the sinners.

I remember tugging on my mom’s Sunday dress the first time I saw a soloist sing in church, whispering with budding excitement, “Mommy, I want to do that!” I couldn’t wait to get in front of an audience. Shortly afterward, I started voice and piano lessons, and when I turned 18, I started soloing in church.

A favorite fictional character of mine used to tap his temple, squint his eyes, and commend himself for “dip t’inking!” The stories always showed his definition of deep thinking to be an amusing one, but he was certainly right to value it and want to practice it. The Bible says: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

To me, a church service is people working together for the glory of God and for the benefit of others. Services bring comfort, inspiration, and joy, but sometimes there’s a sneaking thought that suggests that serving in church is a burden rather than a joy.

When Jesus said to his disciples, “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink” or wear ( Matt. 6:25 )—he didn't promote frugality, nor did he expect others to work so that they could hand out what the disciples needed.

I was walking home from my office on 42nd Street in New York City one crisp autumn day, keeping step with the rhythm of a Whitney Houston song playing on my iPod. As I strode up Sixth Avenue, I couldn’t help smiling at the sweet concurrence of sounds, images, and thoughts enveloping me.

“What is a bomb?” the little four-year-old asked me earnestly. We were in Sunday School, right in the middle of a Bible story that definitely had no bombs in it.

It was Tuesday night. Two days remained until my big music history exam, and although I had been studying intensely for days, I still felt unprepared and inadequate.