Lisa Brenninkmeyer's Blog, page 7

For Your Weekend: Let Them Bring You to Jesus

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 7:31–37

As the mother of five small children, meltdowns are expected. What isn't expected, however, is that I, the mother, the adult, should be having them, but that's what happened yesterday. My family was doing fine as I embarrassingly and humiliatingly melted down over what should have been a joy-filled day.

Here is the story.

It was a Sunday, and our family schedule included attending Mass, baptizing our son, and hosting a family party. 

Post-Mass b...

For Your Weekend: Wash Your Heart, Not Your Hands

Dig Deep into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 7:1–8,14–15,21–23

Whenever Jesus addresses the Pharisees in Scripture, my conscience is pricked, and my heart is stirred. My love for tradition, ritual, and rules can lead me to be overly scrupulous of myself and others, to be pharisaical. And if there is one thing I detest, it is a pharisaical heart. 

If I’m honest, one of my greatest fears is that when I reach my judgment, I’ll find out that I missed the point—that I was too focused on other's unwashed ...

For Your Weekend: Leap of Faith

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 6:60–69

My fourteen-year-old son is in a really fun phase of adolescence. Please note my sarcasm.

He loves to ask, “Why?” when either my husband or I ask him to do something like finish a chore he already knows he has to do, stop playing video games, or go to bed. Yes, he is fourteen, not four. And he doesn’t just ask once. He will ask it repeatedly, even when he already knows the answer. It’s a game to him, a frustrating and tiring game that he is inte...

For Your Weekend: We Are the Birds

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 6:51–58

A photograph hangs on my office wall. It is a snapshot I was grateful to capture just steps away from my front door: a nest of three baby birds, featherless and fragile, with eyes looking toward heaven and beaks wide open. 

They were dying to be fed.  

When I reflect on our Sunday gospel and hear Jesus say, “This is the bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:58), I think about the birds. I think about their utter helplessness and weakness, t...

For Your Weekend: Stop Murmuring

Dig Deep into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 6:41–51

As I contemplate tomorrow’s gospel passage, I keep being drawn to the word “murmur.” Perhaps it’s because I find myself murmuring, or complaining, more often than I’d like to admit. 

Murmuring—a complaint uttered in a low and indistinct tone; synonymous with grumbling and muttering—has a negative connotation, indicative of someone who is discontent and critical. While it may seem harmless, Scripture makes it abundantly clear that murmuring is offe...

Who Are We to Judge? Luke 6:37

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

This Bible verse is one of the most quoted, misquoted, interpreted, and misinterpreted in all of Scripture. Whether we believe in Christianity or not, most of us know Jesus told us not to judge, and we love to use it to support our preferred worldview. Some take this verse to mean that Jesus was a “you do you” kind of Savior who approved every decision and lifestyle...

For Your Weekend: What Are You Hungry For?

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 6:24–35

Hunger pangs. We’ve all felt them. At one point or another, we’ve all been that girl sitting in the middle of a meeting or a test, embarrassed and red-faced because those loud, obnoxious growling noises aren’t somebody’s pet chihuahua hiding under the table. No, it’s your stomach. We’ve all probably gone too long without eating, either intentionally or by accident. We may even have slipped into the “hangry zone” when our hunger makes us unbearab...

For Your Weekend: You Need to Sit Down

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 6:1–15

I don’t like to sit down, because I can’t control life if I am sitting. I can’t fold the laundry, make dinner, or write the next masterpiece. I can’t be praised for something well done because nothing has been done. It’s why I dread manicures, all that wasted time sitting. I need to be moving to feel accomplished. And so what I am about to say might not sound like a big deal to you, but trust me, it is. You might want to sit down before you conti...

For Your Weekend: When Our Rest Is Interrupted

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 6:30–34

It’s summer! And so we must be sipping iced tea, having manicured nails in lovely shades of pink, achieving a perfect golden bronze tan. We must also be watching sunsets, anticipating our family vacation to the Cape, eating ice cream while maintaining the ideal figure, watching fireworks, and, above all, resting. We must be relaxing, having fun, and delighting in everything this glorious season promises. 

Right?

Don’t mistake my sarcasm. I love ...

For Your Weekend: All We Need is Jesus

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 6:7–13

Chances are I would not have been among the apostles sent on their first missionary trip that we read about in this Sunday’s gospel. And if I had, well, I probably would have taken Jesus aside for a quick follow-up conversation regarding His “know before you go” instructions.

I’m not a light packer—my husband can attest to this. I like to be prepared for all weather situations; this one tunic situation would not work for me. And to top it all off...