I asked my recently retired Department of Transportation friend how roads get widened. His answer was unsurprising: It happens because of increases in volume and planning for future traffic patterns. I asked because it sounds unthinkable — not to mention…
The Salvador
God gives us Scripture and calls us to read imaginatively, realizing we are all part of God’s story. Christians seem to be most intentional about this during Holy Week, reading with eyes wide open and straining to hear our own…
Waiting for Madge
He stood red-faced and fuming in the courtroom at the verdict that had just been handed down. His defense had called the trial “a witch hunt,” and he would publicly denounce his conviction as a miscarriage of justice. A jury…
No Good Samaritan
Most of us have a warm and fuzzy image of Jesus. We envision strolling through the countryside, eating loaves and fish with him, basking in the miracles of the sick who are healed and sent home whole again. It’s cozy…
Wake up
There was an urgency to his whisper: “Mary, wake up!” Like any new mother, she was instantly awake, asking, “What’s wrong? Where’s Jesus?” “He’s fine. But we have to go. I’ll explain on the way.” Her husband’s face, lit only…
REpiphany
Some days are significant for multiple reasons. Take Epiphany, for instance. Long before I knew what Epiphany was, I knew it was my friend’s birthday. Halfway between mine and my wife’s birthdays, we celebrated him on the sixth day of…
Keep walking
Head in hands, the disciples stared at their feet. These feet had walked faithfully ever since the first call to “Follow me.” Certain this way of life would usher in a new day and change the world, they had gone…
The Trickster
The trickster stirred the pot and knew what was about to happen. Esau was hangry (hunger that makes you angry). Maybe it was merely his unsuccessful hunt for food. Maybe he was upset by the high cost of groceries. Who…
How long will we tolerate The Lottery?
My middle school memory keeps rewinding the film our teacher showed one day of this disturbing short story by Shirley Jackson. Everyone in a small town is assembling. Something important is about to happen. Like a human Farmer’s Almanac, one…
‘None shall pass’
“I have no quarrel with you, good Sir Knight,” says King Arthur, “but I must cross this bridge.” “None shall pass!” declares the Black Knight. “I move for no man!” So one of the most farcical fight scenes in cinema…