This might seem redundant, but it’s time to prepare for Advent. Of course, Advent is a time of preparing to receive Christ, so this is a case of preparing to prepare. This year I’m using three folks from the Bible as my guides: Mary, Simeon, and Anna. We often celebrate Mary for her willingness to say yes to God (Luke …
Apocalypse and Hope. Do they seem like opposites? I have always thought of them that way—in opposition to each other. It turns out … I’ve been wrong. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus describes a time when everything will change. The temple, the center of religious life and a place described as “the house of the Lord” (1 Kings 6:1), …
“Sitting across from the offering box, Jesus was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, ‘The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than …
I’ve thought about this a lot and I think I can sum up the problem with loving my neighbor in one word: ME. I love my neighbor really well as long as it isn’t too hard or too expensive or … too inconvenient. I love my neighbor as long as it works for ME. Loving my neighbor would be a …
Have you ever had an experience where you felt like God opened your eyes and allowed you (or made you!) see something in a new way? I’ve taken a handful of mission trips to Nicaragua. On one of my first trips, I got to walk in the jungle and hand out bags of grocery essentials. I’m not normally a fan …
There is a lot about God that I don’t understand. And, yes, that is a huge understatement! But even the little I think I understand about God leaves me feeling amazed. First, there’s the fact that the Almighty, Loving, Holy, and Righteous Creator chooses to be known. The idea of an imperfect human like me being loved, and in relationship …
In the wake of Hurricane Michael—the Category 4 Storm that struck Florida on October 10—my community is a mess. It looks like a game of pick-up sticks was played on a cosmic scale, using 100-foot tall pine trees and concrete power poles. And we were the lucky ones! West of us, it’s not a matter of debris and inconvenience, there …
<<As this blog post goes live, Hurricane Michael is nearing landfall not far from my home.>> A couple of weeks ago I changed the background on my phone. As Hurricane Michael invades my part of the world, it feels especially apropos. I changed it to an image of a Jack Pine forest. I’m certainly not an arborist or horticulturist or even …
Psalm 124 has a line in it I really like. Overall, the Psalm is about how God rescues the Old Testament nation of Israel over and over again. It is a celebration of God’s presence and mercy. The Psalmist says: “We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken and we have escaped. …
Sometimes, I’m not a good listener. Occasionally my mind will wander or my phone will distract me, but more often, I’m not a good listener because I’m thinking about how to react to what I’m hearing. It could be that I’m thinking through what I will say or how to relate to your story, but I also have to concentrate …