Rich never noticed Lazarus’ agony. His sickness. His hunger. Rich was comfortable. He ate well, dressed fine, died and went to Hell. There, Rich finally saw Lazarus. Maybe hell is finally seeing. Maybe hell is being near to God, totally enveloped in love and now,...
Jeremiah is sick with grief. The poor have no advocates. Worse than that, no one cares enough to grieve after them. There is a drought of tears for the poor. The system is rigged in favor of the haves over the have-nots. County budgets are balanced on the backs of the...
I will never forget it. I was walking around Ground Zero. It was two days after 9/11. The buildings were still on fire. We were passing out water. Socks. Prayers. Anything that would help those who were rummaging around in the rubble for life. I won’t ever forget the...
“Out-called” is who we are in Jesus. “Out-Called” from under the crush of the status quo. Out into a life of voluntary partnership with the Spirit. Out, beyond obligation, where joy is. “Out-called” we labor with Jesus in His stated purposes. Called out, we share the...
At the center of our worship there’s a table. From the table we serve a common meal. Common because it’s for everybody. Extraordinary because it’s for anybody. Just like God. Jesus loved a good dinner party, I like that about him. From a table he sprang toward the...
Jesus’ words and example cause us to stand. He calls to us and our bent over, broken and beleaguered days lose their death grip. His will for us overcomes our weariness. He stands for us and we can stand. We stand up because he stands beside us — in our fear, despair,...
The imaginations of the true laborers belong to God. They have seen God do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, and so they trust. They trust that God, as the still point of the circle, is drawing the circle of harvest wider and wider and they want in!Laborers...
Jesus speaks of harvest. Connecting with people. Gathering people. Church growth by another name. He speaks of harvest while he harvests. He speaks of harvest because he sees the world and has compassion. He sees that people are harassed, helpless and ready to...
“Harvest” is how Jesus describes the world – how he speaks of innumerable opportunities. Harvest is what God wants us to pray for. Harvest is God’s purpose for God’s people in the world. Harvest is a positive use of time. Harvest is how God...
The man who committed the murders in Orlando was not foremost a religious zealot. The violence he committed started with smaller incidences of violence to his loved ones and to himself. It seems he was tormented by a perverted sense of Islam and an intense struggle...
