Posts
I hurt myself today To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that’s real Hurt is everywhere. We feel the hurt caused to us. We fear the hurt caused by us. And we hurt ourselves as we rehearse the pain again and again. The Book of Job focuses our […]
On most Tuesday mornings, I find myself among a beautiful community of the aged and infirm. It’s a privilege that I sometimes take for granted, though I try not to. These dear friends can’t easily get into a car and attend church on Sundays. The little liturgy we provide is the closest they get to […]
The Baptist theologian and historian Timothy George was said to open his church history course with the statement: “My task in this class is to convince you that there was someone between your grandmother and Jesus and that it matters.” Today is All Saints Day – a day worth giving attention to. Regardless of denomination, […]
Luke 16:1-8 may be the most confusing parable Jesus ever told. It’s a parable of the antihero. On the surface it seems that He’s commending dishonesty and manipulation. This led the Roman Emperor Julian to accuse Christians of being liars and thieves. At this point, we might be thinking “Jesus, couldn’t you make this one […]
On Valentine’s Day, we’re reminded that, in our culture, love is a god. This is why there’s commercial appeal to get the chocolates and buy the roses. Where love is a god, the god called “money” has quite an opportunity. The two share a bed quite nicely. This isn’t to scoff at the lovers out […]
A man and a woman walk into a church. As the service begins, they sit on opposite sides of the sanctuary. They are opposite in many ways. The man’s attire is formal and old fashioned; the woman is formal and chic. The man sings vibrantly during the singing; the woman stands and mouths the words. […]
Several years ago, a dear friend of mine died tragically. We hadn’t been the best connected in the couple years leading up to his death, and we were now separated by 10 states. The funeral was scheduled, and I paused. Should I really book travel, take off work, put other obligations on hold to attend […]
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous shall live by faith. (Romans […]
“For we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2:11) 2020 was the year we didn’t expect. In February, very few saw the challenges we would face. We assumed things would continue as usual, that our plans would move forward, that all would be well – until it wasn’t. As we close out the […]
Let’s talk about three kings – not the ones you might be thinking. From the ivory palace of Caesar Augustus to the halted kingdom of David to the straw-filled manger throne in Bethlehem. Spoiler Alert – The humble baby in the manger is the King of kings. JESUS – THE HUMBLE KING OF kings While they were there, […]