kingdom of God

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Lilacs, Less Than, Greater Than

Last week I passed my lilac bush and pulled down a cluster of these beautiful, purple blossoms that are such harbingers of spring and breathed in the deeply pungent aroma. The smell of lilacs has got to be the most primal of pleasant nature aromas going far back into my toddlerhood. The smell is so deeply embedded in my brain that just one deep inhalation leaves me reeling in some wonderful way with the perfection of the scent. It is...

Repentance, Fifty Shades of Black and Fifty Shades of White

Repentance. It’s a loaded word, and one that seems particular in most ways to Judeo-Christian thought. A word that from various sermons I’ve heard over the years means along the lines of making a 180 degree turn. A word that is defined by the Oxford Dictionary in the following way: re·pent·ance noun the action of repenting; sincere regret or remorse. “each person who turns to God in genuine repentance and faith will be saved” Similar: remorse-contrition-contriteness-penitence-sorrow-sorrowfulness-regret-ruefulness-remorsefulness-pangs of conscience-prickings of conscience-shame-guilt—self-reproach—self-condemnation-compunction-conversion-rue-sorriness...