One of the tensions of the Christian tradition is the “already, but not yet” element of the Gospel. How I understand this is that people who are seeking to follow Christ, are living in the faith that the work that he set out to do among us is already accomplished. And yet, in our daily … More Christ Is of Faith
God is the ground of being, being-itself; who concerns us ultimately. Thus, God is our ultimate concern. — Paul Tillich I’ll be honest with you and say that on a weekly if not daily basis, I find myself wondering what good I am doing as a pastor. It’s not that I don’t appreciate what I do or the people with … More Being With God
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. – Marianne Williamson I’m just going to come out and say it so I can get over it. I’ve got cowardice coursing through me. I am afraid of my light just as Marianne said. I don’t want it to be this way. I want … More Powerful Beyond Measure Part 3
Years ago a friend told me that he was sad because he didn’t know his life’s purpose. For some reason, I had never thought about that concept before. And so, because I didn’t know how to take what he was saying seriously, I insensitively reacted with laughter. This upset him, which only made me laugh … More Transforming Purpose
I remember when I first received the email. I was sitting in my cubicle—a place that didn’t reflect my inner life. I don’t remember who the email was from. But, it was one of those inspirational emails that starts off lifting your spirits and then lets you down by saying that you have to send … More Powerful Beyond Measure – Part 1
Tonight I realized that I feel safer in cars that look like I can afford them. That is a sad awareness that I need to work on more deeply. How I realized this was that I had to rent a car. I had a coupon that enabled me to get a compact for the same … More Escaping the Prison Industrial Mindset
Almost every morning I wake up and look out my bedroom window and start talking to God. I don’t have a standard thing I say. If someone were to hear my thoughts, they might think that some of what I say sounds like a standard prayer. Sometimes parts of Bible verses pop into my head … More What More Can We Give?
How do you explain the inexplicable? How do you see the Unseen? How do you teach about the Unknown? These are questions that go through my head on a weekly basis serving as a minister. I guess the short answer to all of those questions is faith. But what exactly is faith? In Hebrews 11, … More When God Shows Up
The day after the Vegas shootings, I dreamed that I was in the pulpit doing the “Prayers of the People” and decided not to stop until I could tell that my prayers were having some positive effect on the world. I ended up being at the pulpit for days on end without eating or sleeping … More What Do I Pray For?
Are you familiar with the conversational phenomenon known as mansplaining? If you have never heard of it, here is a working definition of it: Mansplaining can be when someone who has lesser or incomplete knowledge on a subject offers an explanation to someone with greater knowledge of the subject under the assumption that the person … More Sight Beyond Sight – A Commentary on “Mansplaining and more…”
