One More For JC

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40)   25 years ago, I flew in from New Jersey for an important weekend in Minnesota. Dee and I had 3 house showings lined up with our realtor in the hopes of buying our first home together.  The first one we looked at had a great exterior, but we weren’t fond of the inside.  The second one we desired even less, putting all the pressure on the 3 rd  and final one we were going to look at.     I can’t recall how many prayers I said, but I’m sure they were plentiful.  If that 3 rd  showing didn’t work out, I’d have to schedule future trips to Minnesota and go through the pro...

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,   fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.   (Hebrews 12:1-2)   For over a decade, I’ve been proactively going to a dermatologist for an annual full body scan for skin cancer (the trials of being raised with an in-ground pool).  For years, the check-ups were uneventful, and I would merrily go on my way until the next year.  But a few years ago, things started to change as spots were identified of concern.  The first few identified were also uneventful – spots that the doctor removed on the spot, and they ultimately checked out fine.    Unfortunately, last year and this year, spots were identified that required a call back for a deeper excision (both of which thankfully worked out OK).  Th...