My Lent devotional this year has been A Way Other than Our Own, by Walter Bruegemann. There are several quotes throughout the book worth pondering, but here’s what he says about Maundy Thursday that has me thinking today: “The drama of the towel provided an example for the disciples to replicate:… Continue reading
A few weeks ago I listened to a Robcast about the “lie of redemptive violence.” In this podcast, Rob Bell explains how this idea of redemptive violence–that violence in retaliation for wrong-doing can be justified–is deep in our society…and even in our theology. But it’s really a myth, and he goes… Continue reading
In pondering the sermon for this Sunday, I discovered that I actually had two sermons. This is the one that won’t get preached. Text: Matthew 5:13-16 In the movie Lion King, Simba is born into greatness. A descendant of the king, he is told from a young age that he… Continue reading
My congregation is doing a 6-week sermon/study series based on the book by John Ortberg, If you Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. I’ve been familiar with this book for quite some time, but I don’t think I’ve read it. The book is based… Continue reading
I have an unfortunate love of watching TV series…straight through on Netflix. I don’t do this often, but every now and then I have a stretch of time that isn’t highly scheduled and I find myself spending more time than I’d like to admit clicking “watch next episode,” saying ‘just… Continue reading
“It isn’t so much that people leave religion, I think as it is that, like Olympic runners on a mission, they come to a moment in life when they go beyond the system to the very source of the light. It is the plight of the mystic to enter the… Continue reading
Every now and then, I have a conversation with someone about the importance of engaging in a faith community of some kind. Sometimes the sense is that folks want to get ‘other things sorted out first’ before focusing on things like spiritual development or faith community. I hear things like,… Continue reading
The people of the Judean hill country know enough to realize that this means that God will be summoning him to something special in which, due to their proximity to him, they will almost certainly be caught up” (Gooder, p. 90). This week’s Advent focus was on John the Baptist,… Continue reading
“Prophetic waiting looks eagerly for signs of God’s salvation in our midst; it looks backward remembering God’s glorious salvation in the past; forward to the time in the future when it will break forth again; and all around us for signs of its presence now.” (The Meaning is in the… Continue reading
I recently began reading the book “When Helping Hurts,” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. I’ve heard about this book in the context of reflecting on attitudes and methods used in “Christian Outreach” that are…less than helpful. I’m reading it to increase my capacity to engage a conversation about the… Continue reading