Much to my surprise, no one invited me to a recent gathering in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. According to news stories, hundreds of evangelical pastors attended sessions at the Baton Rouge River Center in order to learn how to run successfully…
I did not get an invitation…
Rethink this church thing
Does your congregation exhibit kingdom of God characteristics? An oft-repeated television commercial captured my attention the other day. I watched people use a ribbon to see how far their money would stretch into retirement. Finally, one lady, surprised by how…
Where is God?
John’s prologue is actually a poem that introduces major themes that will be developed in the unfolding of the story that follows. It is a beautiful poem about the mystery of incarnation. I love the story about two mischievous boys,…
Once again the pen is mightier than the sword
I have a mighty pen I prefer over any other pen. I carry it with me always. When someone offers me a pen to sign a document or a payment slip, I pull out my mighty pen and sign it….
Tasting the Kingdom
Imagining our best selves
Keeping hope alive
In Luke’s story about Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the temple ( Luke 2:22-40) they meet two prophets, Simeon and Anna, both well along in years. Simeon and Anna had been patiently waiting and looking for “the redemption of…
When I knew everything
May 8, 1970 was the day when I knew everything. On that day, I received a master of divinity degree after three years of study at an accredited theological seminary. I had received good grades (well, I did get a…
God’s Bet on Humanity and Creation
“Our world is in need of a savior!” A line we might expect to come right out of a sermon in a church. But, it’s not. If we are paying attention, we can hear it being whispered from different corners…
Important origins
Important Origins (Part 2 in the series, How God changes our neighborhood) In the first part of this series I set up this idea that the key theological concept of Christmas, the Incarnation, can be boiled down into a simple…
10 things I wish everyone knew about Jesus
Father James Martin is the editor-at-large for the Jesuit magazine America and author of several books, including Jesus: A Pilgrimage, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, and Between Heaven and Mirth. He is also, in the words of Stephen Colbert,…