Remember, God the Author of the Big Bang; the One who hangs galaxies like we hang Christmas ornaments, with all power and wisdom at God’s disposal intervened in human history? Not with a conquering army. Not by placing controls on individual freedoms. Not by demanding...
Jesus’ mother, Mary, believed God has favorites. Listen to the lyrics of her hit song: God gives favor to those on the bottom. God shows mercy to those who reverence God and organize their lives accordingly. God’s strength is in preserving people through humility and...
“Political partisanship has no place in our speaking to the world on behalf of Jesus. It is beneath us. Is following Jesus inherently political? Of course it is! Jesus challenged people to bend the status quo toward justice and equity–that is political. Those were his...
“Every effective ministry I have ever known at its core is some lay person, deacon, priest or bishop personally joining Jesus in his purpose and then out of the overflow of that, in the tractor beam of that, asking others to join them. People on purpose is the best...
“To challenge as Jesus challenged, we must begin the journey that puts us in the world without the blinders of contempt or blinding assumptions that flourish because of lack of real proximity. Think about it, it seems right that Paul was struck blind and delivered to...
‘You are blessed,’ is what I say to people every Sunday. ‘Blessed!’ Some people nod and some even shed a tear. Some people’s eyes stare upward, seeming to make a mental list of their blessings. Gratitude is a funny thing. It penetrates us–moves us to do good things....
“…when we say ‘ we challenge the world to love,’ we begin where God begins. “For God so loved the world.” Which implies God sees the world–sees her needs, her wounds and her promise and then responds. In other places we read that Jesus “seeing” various individuals and...
The results are in, mostly. Some won, some lost. Some are elated, some feel deflated. You and I are still members of the American family. You and I are still neighbors. We make our way forward in these politically-charged and divided times by finding the gaps in...
God is faithful, so we respond in faith. God plays the tune, we choose to dance. Jesus said that with faith you can move a tree. Faith is not only how we move; faith is how we move things. What have you moved by faith? Faith moved Sarah to a new city. Faith moved...
From jail, John hoped his work would continue. His work was to reach people religion left behind. Through his cell bars he asked his friends, “Is Jesus the Messiah, or should I keep waiting?” Pay attention to how Jesus answered the question: “Tell...
