Tag Archives: Christian

by | February 19, 2013 · 9:22 AM

5 Non-Negotiables for Christian Law Students: Part III

I’ve often lamented the busyness of life in law school, that the experience preys upon our desires for success and leads us to forsake the more important things. “I don’t want to waste the opportunity God has given me to attend                                    institution,” says one student, making the slide toward compromise that much easier. It can be a subtle shift in priorities, but one that has ghastly results for our spiritual lives. 

How to counteract this creep? In parts one and two to this series, I’ve touched on other non-negotiables for the Christian law student, and now, it’s time to offer yet another:

Contemplation and Sabbath Rest.  Continue reading →

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by | August 31, 2012 · 11:58 AM

Politics and Christianity

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“Let’s have Christ our President
Let us have him for our king
Cast your vote for the Carpenter
That you call the Nazarene

The only way we can ever beat
These crooked politician men
Is to run the money changers out of the temple
Put the Carpenter in”  – Woody Guthrie

I’m looking for a lot of feedback to this post.  As a blog, I think we have tried to discuss politics only when it seems necessary either because (1) a huge atrocity is being committed (on the order of slaves or genocide) or (2) it is fairly uncontroversial where Christian faith should place us in terms of governmental policy (please correct me if I’m wrong Ted or Anna).  (This is not a political blog.  It’s a blog about/for professionals, mainly in the legal field, striving to follow Jesus.)  However, it is impossible to avoid politics with the Presidential Election so close. As a former political science/game theory/social choice enthusiast, I’m especially drawn in by political news.

So, here are my questions:  How do you decide political issues?  How do you think Christians should decide political issues? Continue reading →

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by | May 10, 2012 · 12:13 AM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: The Wings of Morning

“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 139: 9-10).

Merciful God, too often we seek to flee from Your presence…when the world is too much with us, when temptation beckons, when we know we have failed.  Continue reading →

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by | May 1, 2012 · 10:32 AM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Prone to Wander

“You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?”

Ps. 56:8

The old hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” was penned by Robert Robinson before the American Revolution.  It contains the aching lyric, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love…”

The Bible speaks again and again of Continue reading →

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by | April 4, 2012 · 10:40 AM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Nails

There is a plaintive line from the old Simon and Garfunkel song, El Condor Pasa (If I Could), that speaks about the superiority of hammers to nails. Sometimes we feel that way, Christians and non-Christians alike. So tired of the pounding, we’re tempted to change places with the hammer. So beleaguered that any road seems better than the one we’re on. If only we could leave our burdens behind.

It is worth remembering Continue reading →

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by | March 21, 2012 · 12:21 PM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: The Carpenter

Before the Lord took up His public ministry, He worked for years in anonymity, as a simple Carpenter.

Anyone who works in wood will tell you that the task is, in fact, far from simple. Woods vary in quality and strength. It takes knowledge and patience to produce something of lasting usefulness and beauty. Continue reading →

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by | March 14, 2012 · 12:04 AM

Goliath – Poverty Housing

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin.  But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts…This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…’ ” (1 Sam. 17:45-46).

Like many other older cities, Philadelphia has large areas of poverty, particularly in the north and west.  Housing is at a premium in these areas.  Row upon row of homes sag with age and disrepair, kindling awaiting the match.

Leaking roofs and broken windows are common.  At times, Continue reading →

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by | March 13, 2012 · 11:43 PM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Not Our Will

“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done’ ” (Luke 22: 41-42).

Lord Jesus, You knew from the beginning of time what Your obedience to the Father would require, yet gave Yourself over freely to His will.  You were without sin, yet Continue reading →

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by | March 8, 2012 · 1:32 AM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Idols

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen – a great speaker and profound Christian writer, since passed on to his reward – said  of paganism that it created idols out of man’s burning desire to see the gods face to face, to “force” them into this broken world of ours and hold them to account. Continue reading →

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by | March 6, 2012 · 5:21 AM

Such A Time As This

“ ‘For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise…from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ ” (Esther 4:14).

This year the Jewish holiday of Purim begins Wednesday evening March 7. For those of you who may not know, Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jews from destruction in ancient Persia (now northwest Iran, and neighboring areas). That fact is being twisted into a lie on a grand scale.  The parallels are all too clear. Continue reading →

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by | February 29, 2012 · 7:35 AM

Business As Usual

“ ‘For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?’ ” (Mark 8:36).

Any number of disappointing articles have been written about the impact of the Great Recession on lawyers, especially those just beginning their careers. Most of these articles focus exclusively on the financial aspect of lawyering.

Putting aside for the moment that many other areas of the economy have been harder hit than the legal profession, it is understandable that lawyers fearing for their livelihoods would look for reassurance, particularly considering the debt many law students carry when they first graduate. Continue reading →

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by | · 7:31 AM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Proclaim Liberty

“ ‘…He has sent Me…to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…’ ” (Is. 61: 1).

Philadelphia, this beloved city of ours, has a proud heritage. Not only was it the cradle of American liberty. Philadelphia was, also, an important locus on the Underground Railroad. Johnson family members and prominent abolitionist William Still were all based in the city. Between them, this Quaker family and free black man helped upwards of 800 slaves escape to freedom. Continue reading →

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by | February 22, 2012 · 7:45 PM

Choosing Sides

Mitt Romney was widely quoted as saying he was “not concerned about the very poor,” since they already have a safety net. The remark was roundly criticized, but betrayed a view many people hold, i.e. that the poor are somehow lacking in character or initiative.

Contrast that with a statement by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “Every individual is worth more than the entire universe.”  Continue reading →

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by | · 7:35 PM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: February

It is February again, dark and cold.  Some forty Catholic schools will be shutting their doors in Philadelphia. Local public schools will be closing their buildings nights and weekends, in an effort to save on costs. As ever, there is waste and scandal in Washington. As ever, there is unrest in the Middle East. Continue reading →

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