“Who is my neighbor?” The expert of the law, the one whose job it was to study Scriptures, asked Jesus this question in Luke 10. Of course, the expert probably knew the answer. He knew the original languages and pored…
What happens when you cannot hope?
As Advent approaches quickly, focused on waiting for the Christ Child, and as we light the candles of hope, joy, love and peace, I find myself unready. Exhausted. Feeling out of touch with the patterns of the church year, with…
This year, I need Lent
I told a friend, “I need Lent this year.” I have practiced Lent in some form or fashion since middle school, although not always with the greatest of intentions, and before it was commonplace in Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-adjacent circles. One…
On the struggle bus wondering about authenticity, performance and the pandemic
I was talking to someone I hadn’t touched base with in a while. They said something like, “It looks like you’re doing great,” based on what they saw on Facebook. I smiled and didn’t have the heart to tell them…
In times like these: Love of hope and hope of love
Does hope mean anything anymore? What is the point of hope in this season? I’ve asked myself those questions, along with many, many others in the preceding months and today. I look at the mess we’ve made of the United…
Four radical implications of knowing you are God’s child
We are children of God. This statement is incredibly simple. And incredibly radical. In Genesis, God creates humanity out of God’s image. Humans are made into God’s image and grow into God’s likeness. We are like God; we bear God’s…
‘Thy kingdom come; thy will be done’: Independence Day and the Lord’s Prayer
Do we really want God’s kingdom to come? Do we want God’s will to be done – here in America in the year 2020? Are we willing to change? Do we want the world to turn upside down?
Amid this pandemic, can we say with Julian of Norwich, ‘All shall be well’?
More than six centuries later, Julian of Norwich still speaks to modern Christians caught, like her, in the clutches of another “Great Pestilence.”
Brave peacemaking, not bullying, must be our goal
As observances of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and MLK Day approach, King’s prophetic warnings about war ring relevant and true to our current political environment.