After moving from Seattle to Dallas in 2015 to teach at Southern Methodist University, I decided to do something, well, important with some leftover funds. With a history of searing headaches, I wanted to introduce ancient authors who wrote in unvarnished ways…
He turned 65 in a dorm and was inspired to write a book about the Holy Spirit
The end of COVID prompted Jack Levison to think more deeply about the Spirit-filled life. The result is his latest book, a small volume accessible to laity and clergy alike: Seven Secrets of the Spirit-filled Life. As the pandemic slowed,…
How to celebrate Pentecost without balloons, plastic doves or salsa
A few years ago, on Pentecost Sunday, I noticed red and orange balloons streaming upward from the church altar. The service bulletin explained these were meant to symbolize the infamous tongues of fire at the first Pentecost. After the service…
What did the crowds expect on Palm Sunday?
You may have heard someone, maybe a preacher, ask on Palm Sunday, “What did the crowds waving palm branches and laying coats on the ground expect?” And you may have heard a dozen different answers. What, in fact, did the…
How to prepare for Pentecost
I’m lying on an ice pack early this morning, doing my back exercises and listening to Pray as You Go, a tool for meditation, with monastery bells, music and a Bible reading. It warms up my cranky body — and…
Advent reflection: Advent and anticipation
The Holy Spirit appears next at the fringes of the temple, in the world of widows and old men and peasants from Galilee. Luke describes the old man with unusually lavish language, including three rapid-fire references to the Spirit. Now…
Advent reflection: The shadow of the Spirit
The angel’s announcement to Mary follows the same pattern: “And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most…
Advent reflection: An explosive conversation
BNG is pleased to partner with Baker Publishing Group and Perkins School of Theology at SMU to present a twice-weekly Advent reflection series written by Jack Levison. The reflections will be published every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the season. Surprises…
Advent reflection: A burst of inspired blessing
BNG is pleased to partner with Baker Publishing Group and Perkins School of Theology at SMU to present a twice-weekly Advent reflection series written by Jack Levison. The reflections will be published every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the season. It…