Another Look at the Book of Job

Who knew that reading the Book of Job would be about so much more than just dealing with unfair suffering – as if that weren’t enough! Chapter by chapter, the Book breaks down our conventional wisdom that denies the suffering of innocents. Reading it is not for the faint of heart! But as I read…

Read More

Overusing God?

Overusing God? What could that mean? A momentary struggle with that phrase led me to wonder and to worship. I learned a long time back that our language not only reflects our thoughts, but also shapes them. For example, if we think “friend” as our default language, we’ll begin with a positive attitude toward another…

Read More

Resurrection and Wild Waves

Okay, I admit it: ever since COVID and writing my book Tossed in Time, I’ve been partial to Matthew’s story of Jesus walking on the stormy water – and Peter’s crazy request to walk on the wild waves with him! (Matthew 14: 22-33) A fisherman by trade, Peter clearly knew those nighttime storms could mean…

Read More

Disciples and Disciplines

I never was a fan of the word “discipline.” It sounds too much like “punishment” to me. Not that my parents disciplined me very much. But the term used to leave a bad taste in my mouth, nevertheless. But not any longer. Actually, “discipline” comes from the word for “disciple.” Ah, that makes a huge…

Read More

Worship’s Deep Water

On a scorching day, it’s amazing how refreshing a simple glass of cold water can be. I have felt this in the summer after a long walk, a hike, or a workout, when the heat seems to suck the life out of my parched mouth. That’s how it tasted this past Saturday when I co-taught…

Read More

Flow

There are times when doing flows into being. Like when a toddler carefully puts the final block on a toy tower he has built. It can happen when an instrumental musician masters an intricate musical passage. Or when a runner completes her most memorable race, her leg muscles burning and lungs nearly exploding, in what…

Read More

Practicing God’s Presence

In the busi-ness of your responsibilities and the busy-ness of life, how do you stay in touch with God? Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” But how do we open up to such stillness within? I recognize this stillness in certain moments, when the illusion of “ordinary” days is drawn…

Read More

Day-by-Day Mysteries

Think of us in this way: as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. (1 Corinthians 4:1) Paul was in trouble – again. This time it was with some members of the congregations he helped because of that pack of holier-than-thou “super-apostles.” They were going around stirring up doubts about his leadership, saying that…

Read More

What is Prayer?

A major question for many people is not the how of prayer, but the what. In their minds, some people may connect prayer with memorized lines they were taught in childhood, or a thing religious leaders said in church worship. But what exactly is prayer? The answer to this question is not the same for…

Read More

The Pattern Prayer

“I’ll pray for you,” people often say. But what do they mean by that? What is prayer, anyway? Prayer is a common term, but any room even of like-minded folks picture it in scores of different ways. Little children may imagine saying sentences out loud to an Old Man in the sky; older adults may…

Read More

Lent: Spring Cleaning for the Soul

People in this country’s Snow Belt## know the importance of spring cleaning when they can throw open their windows and invite fresh air in after the enclosed months imposed by winter cold. These days, with extreme weather changes and COVID concerns, many more of us can identify, after feeling locked in our stuffy homes. The…

Read More

Epiphany: Seeing the Light

Have you ever had an “aha” moment when an issue suddenly becomes clear? All the details fall in line and the pattern finally makes sense. It’s hard to explain but a common experience. Sometimes people call it an “epiphany:” a Greek word that means “manifestation,” the appearance of a divine being, or a sudden intuitive…

Read More

Covenant Sunday in Christmas

Happy New Year! Covenant Sunday comes at the very end of the Christmas season, on the Sunday closest to January first. Back in 1755, John Wesley, English founder of the Methodist movement, held his first Covenant Service of worship. Ever since then, Methodists have been encouraged to begin each new year with a portion of…

Read More

All Saints Day in Pentecost

One special day in the season of Pentecost is All Saints Day. Most Christians around the world celebrate it near the end of Pentecost on November 1 or 2.** So who are the “saints,” anyway? While some denominations have an official process of recognizing them, many Christians around the globe see saints as everyday people:…

Read More

Advent: A Blue Christmas

It seems odd that the New Year for Christians starts in the winter, not in the spring. Springtime would be a natural season for new beginnings when nature is filled to bursting with buds and blossoms of new life. For example, a branch from the Jacaranda tree would be an outstanding symbol of transformation to…

Read More