Have you ever borrowed a cup of sugar from a neighbor? In my imagination, there are idyllic neighborhoods where sharing, borrowing, and lending happen on the regular. In my actual life, I’m too busy to spend much time interacting with my neighbors, all of whom are even busier than me. When Jesus is asked about prayer in the Gospel of …
“God, don’t you care?” That was Martha’s question as she teetered on the verge of an anxiety attack. Martha’s question resonates with me. I’ve cried out to God in this way innumerable times. “God, don’t you care that life feels hard right now?” Or that my friend is sick. Or that no matter how much good I think I’m doing, …
The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) is one of the most familiar Bible stories. The concept of a “Good Samaritan” is ubiquitous far outside the church. It’s even been codified in laws such as Florida’s Good Samaritan Act, offering protection from civil damages when you act in good faith to save someone in an emergency situation (or, curiously, …
It’s an old adage, “give credit where credit is due.” It’s easy to abide when I’m writing an academic paper and I can add a footnote to properly credit my sources. But in life, it’s harder. Sometimes, it’s especially hard to give God credit. According to the Gospel of Luke, there was a time when Jesus sent 70 people to …
We never think of independence as a bad thing, do we? The United States has a Declaration of Independence. As my children get older and edge closer to moving out, I have a heightened awareness of my responsibility to train them to live independently. The building boom around me is all centered on “Independent Living for Senior Adults.” Dependency, bad. Independence, good. Busyness …
Easy answers don’t work when you are adrift in the sea of life. I don’t like easy answers. Well, to be fair, it’s not that I don’t like them, it’s more that I don’t trust them. Sometimes I meet people who think God gives easy answers and it makes me wonder if perhaps they misunderstand the scope of the problem. …
Forty days after Easter, Christians celebrate the Ascension of Jesus. Fifty days after Easter, Christians celebrate Pentecost—the coming of the Holy Spirit in a special way. Jesus told the disciples he would not leave them alone, but instead, the Father would send the “Advocate” (John 14:26). In Greek, this word is “Paraclete.” It means not only Advocate but also Comforter, …
Up, Up, & (Not So Far) Away A few years ago, I was at a church with a basketball ministry. The church is in a suburban neighborhood that used to be affluent but is now in transition. In the past, it was the kind of neighborhood where teenagers were always either occupied or supervised. Through the years, it became the …
Where does peace begin? Is it about nations and treaties? It is a religious movement? If it’s only external, how can I ever experience it? We’ve just passed another Memorial Day. A time when Americans pause to remember those who have died in military service. Coincidentally, the scripture passage for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend was from the Gospel …
But It Was An Invitation to Love Differently The most famous betrayal in the Bible comes when Judas Iscariot turns Jesus over to a group of religious leaders to be crucified (John 18:3-12). Earlier that evening, Jesus, with full knowledge of the coming betrayal, washed Judas’s feet in act of love and service (John 13:2-12). When Judas left to get …