Sunshine radiates through this Sunday’s Psalms: life is stable, labor yields fruit, and marriage is a partnership with generational blessings. There have been times when I’ve mistaken the Psalmist’s contentment as a formula for certainty: I will put my faith in God, and he will make my life better. Unfortunately, faith does not erase life’s chaos:
“do you want us to go and gather up the weeds?” “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.”
It is too easy to hear this Gospel and wonder if we are meeting God’s expectations – if we are “good soil.” That is the most natural response given that we have been assimilated to measure, compare, and judge ourselves and others. Sometimes our lived experience leaves us wondering if we have done enough.
On this 250th birthday of the United States, we pause to give thanks for the faith, imagination, courage and sacrifice of so many that bring us to this anniversary.
Unconditional love has a shape. It is not amorphous. Love without shape isn’t freedom, it’s selfish and chaotic.
In business, there is something called the “ask.” It’s the moment of truth in the conversation. The request. The whole point. Jesus’ ask is
Jesus speaks of three kinds of sheep. The shepherd-less sheep; the lost sheep and the sent sheep. The sheep without a shepherd
Hosea confronted his nation marked by idolatry, political intrigue, social injustice and spiritual unfaithfulness. Using the metaphor of an unfaithful spouse, Hosea claimed that his nation was
A good life means knowing that you can borrow goodness at any time: from your faith, your friends, your family, your community, your teacher, your therapist, your music playlist, from nature, from art, from prayer,
Jesus is not anxious, manipulative, or desperate for power. That’s because God is sovereign. God is patient. God has a purpose God wants to accomplish. This is good news because
