Galatians 6:1-3 Click here to listen In Galatians 6:2, the Apostle Paul writes, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” A burden is something heavy. It is a load to carry. In the Galatians 6 sense, it is something too heavy to carry alone. It may be grief, anxiety, doubt, temptation, illness, financial strain, or some other quiet pain no one else sees. We often try to manage those things ourselves. They're our burdens, after all. Sometimes we even let others struggle alone. But the church is meant to be different. We are not called merely to be “nice.” We are called to love as Christ has loved us. And that love has its own weight to it. It draws near to what is messy. It will sit in silence when there are no right words to say. It listens without judgment. It brings a meal, offers a ride, holds hope for someone who has lost theirs. Think of the friends in the book of Job. They did their best heavy-burden lifting when they simply sat with ...
I have always wondered whether the presidents that history claims are the worst were popular during their administrations. That is, maybe their policies, or lack thereof, proved to be failures. But that also doesn't mean they didn't have followers and people who thought they were doing well. Our current administration is experiencing historically low approval rates . But don't tell that to his rally-goers, flag-bearers, and Bible-buyers. So, how does history determine where a president fits on the worst-to-best scale? I'm sure there's subjectivity that goes into that decision. But here's something that I found interesting that I'll use to weigh on the subject. This article writes of James Buchanan's unpopularity, and finishes with this line: "In comparison with strong Presidents, he said, “weak Presidents, men like Fillmore, Buchanan and Harding … bring democracy into disrepute and expose the Constitution to grave perils,” he said." How do...