Notes

Sep 6, 2019 | For Faith

Went to see Rob Bell this summer. He’s touring the world talking about joy. Here are a few quotes from my notes: “Cynicism is easy and for lazy people. The cynic is a recreational user of the heavy things of life. Joy moves from lightness to heaviness, back to...

More

Aug 30, 2019 | For Faith

I am grateful for the Rule of Law. Grateful to live in a society that by and large values the legal process. Glad that I serve a faith tradition that has Canon law. Law and order is a good thing, mostly. But what about those times when more than the law is required?...

Risk

Aug 16, 2019 | For Faith

Can’t you hear Jesus saying to all the baptized, down through the hallway of time, “Welcome to the beautiful struggle. Welcome to the joyful rebellion. Don’t be surprised if the world hates you. I have come to bring a sword, not to be nice. They killed me because of...

Soulful Excellence

Jul 11, 2019 | Uncategorized

  If there was something called “soulful excellence,” what would it look like? Seems like Paul is trying to describe just that in his very first letter to a church. Here’s what he said: Faith is work. No apologies. And unique works flow from...

Confrontation

Jul 3, 2019 | Uncategorized

  Jesus wasn’t meek and mild.  You don’t publicly execute meek and mild people.  You crucify people who confront the system. Life with Jesus then and now is 50 percent comfort and 50 percent confrontation.  If Jesus’ words and example...

Nowhere

Jun 26, 2019 | Uncategorized

  Jesus remarked he had, “…nowhere to lay his head.” There’s a haunting sadness in that phrase. He said it after being turned away by two villages. He said it to warn his friends that following him would lead to nowhere for them. Recently we’ve seen images of...

Under

Jun 20, 2019 | Uncategorized

  Where are you in relationship to Jesus? If you drew a diagram, where would you be? Beside him? Behind him? There was a soldier who placed himself under Jesus’ authority. Though not a follower of Jesus, he understood power and authority; superior and...

Access

Jun 13, 2019 | Uncategorized

  Boasting in God isn’t pounding a drum on the issues of the day. It’s not parroting religious talking points. Boasting in God comes naturally as a climax to working God’s program and finding God to be a creative genius. That’s what Paul means when he says,...

Of Fire

Jun 6, 2019 | Uncategorized

  “Fire” is what the eye witnesses said. Before the fire, they looked to Jesus for everything. After the fire, they were partners in telling God’s deeds of power; in accomplishing God’s works of power. They were “of fire.” Fire makes all the difference. Not...

Disturbing

May 30, 2019 | Uncategorized

  The Apostle Paul had a disturbing way of following Jesus. There was that time he broke the labor laws of his day and stopped the exploitation of an enslaved girl. There was that time he sang and prayed his way out of jail, stopped his former jailer from...