"one of you will betray me." ~Matthew 26:21 During Holy Week, we experience a mix of emotions. We're excited about Easter, but we try to be mindful of Jesus's horrible crucifixion to come before. After all, there's no Easter without the cross. We're also sad about what Jesus must endure for our sins. We're angry at Judas for being the catalyst leading to Jesus's arrest. In George Orwell's seminal novel, 1984 , each day, everyone takes a break to express two minutes of hate fo

"If you remain in my word" ~John 8:31 As we draw close to the end of Lent, it's natural to feel the struggle. As with anything challenging, we're tempted to persevere, not to the end but right before the end when we think our strength has run out and we have done good enough. You could be feeling the desire to enjoy your favorite food or return to social media despite your commitment to wait until Easter, which is less than two weeks away. At the root of our "good enough" min

"I will never forget you." ~Isaiah 49:15 In Disney's classic 1967 animated film, The Jungle Book , the chief of the elephants, Colonel Hathti, turns to his wife Winifred while on patrol and tells her, "An elephant never forgets." They lead the elephant patrol, securing the jungle from any threat. Their exceptionally sharp memory enables them to remember all the goings on, thereby better protecting the other animals. Contrary to cartoon depictions of elephants with peanut-si

"This great nation is truly a wise and discerning people." ~Deuteronomy 4:6 Recently, I've been captivated by Chef Gordon Ramsey's hit reality TV show, Kitchen Nightmares . He goes into failing restaurants and (hopefully) turns them into successful businesses. At first, he meets staunch resistance from the chefs and owners (no one likes to hear they've messed up). Still, little by little, he breaks down their hard exterior, opens their eyes, and typically they change for the

"let us destroy him by his own tongue; let us carefully note his every word." ~Jeremiah 18:18 When Jesus was in the desert for 40 days, he told Satan man lives "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). Since we are supposed to live on the word of God, shouldn't His words be our words? The adversaries of the prophet Jeremiah realized he was proclaiming what God had told him. Still, they chose to harden their hearts to it. Much like Jesus, hundreds of yea

"no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah," ~Luke 11:29 As we begin our journey of Lent, we are invited to reflect on our need for repentance and conversion. Jesus warns us that this generation is an evil generation that seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. What does this mean? Jonah was a prophet sent by God to preach repentance to the wicked city of Nineveh. But Jonah tried to run away from his mission and boarded a ship that wa