Kristi Burchfiel

Observations from the Doctor, Day 17 Meh Christianity. Read Luke chapter 14. The English language continues to change and morph. New words are added every year as we find new ways to express ourselves. One of my favorite recent additions is “meh.” It’s the perfect descriptor for a variety of circumstances where you just don’t really have a strong opinion. “Where do you want to go eat?” Meh “How is your day going?” Meh “What did you think of that movie?” Meh In so many ways, we have become a society that isn’t strongly passionate about many things. We just sort of relax back and go with the flow. And…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 16 The choice. Read Luke chapter 13. Every single person has a choice to make when it comes to Jesus. Unfortunately, a lot of people choose no. In Luke chapter 13, we see the results of the choices that people have made. Jesus gives several examples that speak to the results of these choices. Jesus spoke about a fig tree that didn’t give figs or people are choosing the wide path instead of the narrow one. Throughout this entire chapter, we see Jesus’s desire for people to make the choice to follow him. However, as we see in our key verse today, Luke 13:34, Jesus…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 14 Does the inside match the outside? Read Luke 11:33-54. I cut into an avocado the other day. It was a beautiful color on the outside, but when I cut into it, it had already started to go bad on the inside. Over the years I have had similar experiences with multiple fruits or vegetables and that has always been a frustrating experience. However, it’s not nearly as frustrating as when the same thing happens with a person. How many times have we experienced a situation where we had one view or impression of a person, and then something happens and we end up seeing…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 13 What are we asking for? Read Luke 11:1-32. When we think about our relationship with God, we may find that we are constantly making requests of God. We ask God to help us. We ask God for money and prosperity. We ask God about the weather. We ask God to help our sports teams win. We ask God for so many things. As you read the first part of this chapter, it’s easy to see that the disciples were the same. They wanted Jesus to help them understand how to pray. Jesus wanted them to understand that God is a good father who wants…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 12 Your actions matter. Read Luke 10. A couple of days ago, we focused on the importance of hearing the word of God. Then we saw the importance of faith and trusting God to be who he says he is. Today, as we read through Luke chapter 10, we see multiple stories that are focused on what people now are willing to go and do. You see, as Luke was studying and seeking to understand Jesus’s life, he recognized that Jesus was very focused on making sure people go and do the things that he has told them to do. In this chapter, we see…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 11 The big picture. Read Luke chapter 9. Reading through Luke chapter 9, we see stories that display both the power and the mercy of God. Jesus feeds the 5,000 and he’s transfigured on the top of the mountain, both demonstrating the power and true awesomeness of God. And then we see Jesus pardoning a city that doesn’t accept him and answering questions of who he is and where he’s from with patience and grace and mercy. Power and mercy. These two characteristics are so defining of who Jesus is and how he interacts with us. Every day he is full of power and full…

Observations from the Doctor, Day 10 Faith. Read Luke 8:22-56. Yesterday, we saw Jesus teaching the lesson and telling the people that they needed to pay attention and hear what he was saying. Today, as we look through the second half of Luke, chapter 8, we see four specific examples of Jesus performing incredible miracles and the faith that the people had. First, we see Jesus calming the storm and his disciples being amazed that he could do that, even though they had been spending time with him they still didn’t really know Jesus. Jesus tells them they should have faith in him. Next, we see the demons being cast…