What does it mean to take up my cross and follow Christ?

In England, some villages are built with walled, narrow passageways for transporting sheep. These small alleys are so very narrow that there is only room for sheep to go through in single file.

In this verse we see the unfathomable complexity of God: one God but three persons. We refer to this as the Trinity. Paul uses just one word to show us the work that each part of the Trinity does.

In my first teaching position, I had the great privilege of witnessing two past students and their mother baptized in front of church on the same day. When I was speaking with the mother after the baptism, she emphasized how coming to church was healing her family.

God made us people who relish food. Even from the very beginning our relationship with him had to do with food, at least in part. Eat from this tree. Don’t eat from this tree. Throughout the Bible we are told stories of Table Fellowship: Don’t eat with these people. Eat with these people. Eating with someone in the ancient world was a powerful statement of camaraderie, companionship, and even charity.