The saying goes, "Familiarity breeds contempt."  It is another way of saying that we take for grantide that which we have all the time.  That is also true in matters of faith.

The longer a person is a Christian, the easier it is to take for grantide who Jesus truly is.  That is especially why I am intent on growing closer to Jesus, as we listen and read through the Four Gospels or accounts of Jesus in the Bible.  The challenge of this is to listen/read well-known Bible passages with new ears/eyes. 

I took a trip to Norway when I was younger. I experienced fascinating culture, geography, and foods, but what impacted me the most was… Kindereggs (Children’s eggs if you don’t speak German).

What can God do?

Hopefully this sounds like a kind of stupid question for me to be asking.  I say "hopefully", because I hope that you're someone who easily answers this question by saying "God can do anything - He's God!"  And yet so often, in our human arrogance, we do try to limit God by saying that He can only do something if we can understand how it's possible!  We try to put God "in a box", and the walls of that box are made-up of human reason and logic.

Here at St. Matthew, we are in a season of intentionally striving to, with God's help, grow closer to and more like Jesus.  It is in that light that I too have been listening/reading through the Bible accounts of Jesus.

In that light, as I was reflecting on Luke 17-18 (ESV), I was captivated by the apostles' request in Luke 17:5, "Increase our faith."  That sounded like something I want and need to grow closer to and more like Jesus.