One of the gifts of reading the New Testament, especially the Gospels, is that we get to see how often those closest to Jesus get it wrong. The disciples are his partners in ministry, but many times they don’t seem to understand what Jesus is really all about. I wish I didn’t find them quite so relatable in those moments. …
An honest conversation with Katie Langston Katie Langston joins Steph and me to talk about her memoir, Sealed: An Unexpected Journey Into the Heart of Grace. Katie grew up in a devoutly Mormon family where she learned that God’s love was conditional and her actions could cause God to reject her. She worried about her inability to please God so …
Several years ago, I got a neat gift from an aunt who lives in Baltimore. She sent me a football autographed by Johnny Unitas—the Hall of Fame quarterback who played for the Colts when they were in Baltimore. Being in the Hall of Fame is a definite indication that a player is a G.O.A.T., one of the Greatest of All …
You’ve probably noticed, but the world is on fire metaphorically and literally. I don’t know about you, but there are days when I feel like I need to be rescued from it all. Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … Superman! Sometimes, I want a superhero to swoop in and save me. Maybe you’ve felt …
What do you think it means when Jesus says: Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. John 6:47-50 “Very truly, I tell you, whoever …
When our bodies are physically malnourished, we get run down, tired, and short-tempered. Extended malnourishment can lead to depression, muscle loss, tissue damage, and more. Children who are malnourished actually stop growing, physically. Something similar can happen when we are spiritually malnourished. We experience loss and damage in our sense of self and our love of neighbor. With extended spiritual …
This little graphic has been floating around on social media. You might have seen it on Facebook or Instagram. It caught my eye when a friend posted it on Instagram. Unfortunately, I have no idea where it originated or who wrote it. In spite of that, I think this is actually a pretty good statement, theologically speaking. When I was …
The Compassion of Christ I generally dislike a scarcity mindset. I dislike it in organizations (including churches), in theology, and in myself. More often than not, consumption, not supply, is the problem. At times, we need to change how we allocate or distribute whatever seems scarce. It can be hard—even impossible—to see how to make these adjustments if we assume …
In August 2019, my husband and I took an unforgettable trip to South Africa. We spent two weeks learning about culture, apartheid, reconciliation, multiculturalism, and more. The big international airport in South Africa is called Tambo International Airport. Mr. O. R. Tambo, the airport’s namesake, was a contemporary of Nelson Mandela and, like him, worked to end apartheid. I was …
Juneteenth is the celebration of the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1862, but it didn’t make its way to Texas until 1865. In this episode, Steph and I are joined by Dr. Darryl Scriven who shares his personal experience as an African American learning about and celebrating Juneteenth. We talk about the …