The Secret Wireless

I am going to do something that I will probably never do again.   I am going to tell you to do something that I have never told you to do, and will hopefully never say again, and if I do you forget about me.   But for today, and for today only, it is completely appropriate.                 I want you to do the opposite of what Jesus says.                 Matthew 16:20: “Then [Jesus] strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.”   I want you to ignore that.   And here is why.                 Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.   And upon the confessing of this Truth is founded the Christian Church and all our hope.   That Jesus is the Christ must be confes...

In the miniseries "Hatfields and McCoys" we are presented with two starkly different views of God.  The story is a dramatic retelling of the post-Civil War feud between two rival families.  [I know nothing of the actual historical account.  My knowledge of this feud comes entirely from the TV miniseries.] On one side of the feud is Randall McCoy and his clan.  Randall feels that he has been cheated by the Hatfield family.  In fact he seems incapable of perceiving anything but slights from them.  Even gracious peace offerings are turned upside down and seen as insults. Randall attends church weekly with his family, and he begins the story with a firm confidence that God, who is just, will pour out his wrath on the Hatfields for their wicked ways. "Devil" Anse Hatfield, on the other hand, begins the story as an atheist.  He cares nothing for God or religion, and only attends Sunday services to please his wife.  After his initial attempt...

                 Even the pope has to undergo an intense amount of scrutiny if he wishes to be recognized as a saint.   When John Paul II died, there were many who wanted him declared a saint by the Roman hierarchy.   But even in death the deceased man could not find freedom from scrutiny.                 The canonization process, as it is called, consists of several steps where a person must be first said to be a “servant of God”.   Then they must be placed in the category of “heroic virtue”.   Next comes the recognition that they either died a martyrs death or confessed the faith in a profound way.   And finally they must have at least 2 certifiable miracles attributed to them after their death.                 It...

There are plenty of people running around attempting dangerous feats.  Bungee jumping, base jumping, jumping out of an airplane, racing, skiing, boating, climbing--adventure sports are out there for those who want to take the risk.  And plenty of people are willing, putting it all on the line. If, however, you want to take a real risk, if you want to truly put everything on the line, then try confession. I don't mean making a public confession, telling the whole world about your private sins.  That may seem dangerous at first, but the one you sinned against is not really being engaged, and you are bound to find much more sympathy than condemnation. I mean approaching the person to whom you have done wrong and telling them what you have done.  Look them in the eyes and confess, admit your guilt, lay it all out there for them to hear.  Tell them just how awful you acted, how evil your intentions were.  Let them know. That is dangerous.  It is...

Peter is twice saved by Jesus in this episode where both men walk on water.                    Jesus has sent His disciples out in their boat across the lake as He goes off by himself to pray, to be strengthened by His Father in Heaven.   Then, in the middle of the night, He comes walking across the water towards the boat.                 The disciples were making slow going because of the wind and waves, so Jesus catches up to them, but they do not recognize Him.   We can hardly blame them for that.   It was dark and windy, and He was walking on top of the waves.                 Their first inclination was to believe that this was a ghost, some sort of spirit hovering over the waters, and they are afraid.   But Jesus c...