Spiritual Presents

  I know what I know, and that’s all that I know, You know?  I am what I am, and that’s all that I am, I am pretty sure.  There is nothing wrong with saying, “I don’t know.”  It can actually be quite liberating.  Moreover, it is not a crime against humanity to change your mind or have your thoughts and opinions evolve over time.  That is actually a sign of intelligence, not of being a flip flopper.  We are all constantly growing, being and becoming.  Having an open mind and a good healthy sense of humility helps each of us age well, like a fine wine.  We are unique gifts with so many possibilities.  We are each a treasure, and God desires that we become wiser and richer in love everyday.   At the same time, we are never perfect.  We each need constant refinement.  The great deceptive trap that we all fall into is the pit of pride.  Now, pride can be a positive gift (See SP on Pride).  However, here I use pride in the negative sense.  The kind of blinded self-serving pride that leads

  The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the heartbeat of the Christian faith.   “Alleluia!  Christ is Risen,” has been the message from the beginning upon which the Christian way grew.  It is the Gospel, the Good News.  Christians shout this out every Easter with great joy!  Do we live as though it is true?  Do we live as though it actually happened?  Do we understand the profound spiritual gifts Christ’s resurrection offers each of us and the whole world now? And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.  (1 Corinthians 15: 14-15, NIV) People often argue about Jesus.  Was he God in the flesh or just a great teacher?  Perhaps he was a liar or even a looney?  Throughout the centuries folks have wondered if he faked his death, or that somehow he was revived before he died.  However, all of these theories f