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Raising Ebenezers
The question Nicodemus asked was only slightly different from the one you and I might have asked. “How can anyone be born after having grown old?” (John 3:4). Another version might be, “Once I’m settled in the familiar ways of the world, how can I give everything up and begin a whole new life?” Or… Continue reading
a new life, abundant life, blessing of small things, blessings of the ordinary, born again, born from above, choice, choices, Duke Elllington, Ebenezer, experiences of grace, flow of life, goodness and mercy, great visions, Holy Spirit, Isaiah’s call, life as a river, life-changing experience, life-changing experiences, marker stones, Mary Oliver, meandering in life, Nicodemus, obstacles in life, Pentecost, starting over, The River, Thoreau -
Grounded in love
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength” (Isa. 30:15). For as long as I can remember, those words from Isaiah have spoken to me at some deep level, and my appreciation of them continues to grow and deepen. Mind you, I don’t yet fully understand… Continue reading
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God and the comma
Some of the wisest advice I’ve heard came from comedienne Gracie Allen. Toward the end of her life, in her final love letter to her husband, George Burns, she wrote, “Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” After every mountaintop experience, there’s a comma and the hard return to the ordinary. And… Continue reading
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You got anything to eat?
I’m not sure the resurrection appearances of Jesus are all that helpful. It’s not that they’re unimportant; on the contrary, they’re central to Christian faith. But sometimes they pull us into such a rarefied frame of mind that we risk losing touch with what the resurrection is about. The mythical giant Antaeus was invincible as… Continue reading
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A Letter to Thomas
For several years, for the Sunday after Easter Day, I’ve written a letter to the disciple Thomas. Some of them I’ve made public. This is one of them. Dear Thomas — For more than forty years I’ve been trying to say something intelligible about the Resurrection, and while I always start with the risen Christ,… Continue reading
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Easter Day: Hidden in Plain Sight
The story is told among preachers, about one pastor and his daughter who were on their way to an Easter service when the young girl asked, “Dad, are you going to try to explain Easter again this year, or will you just let people enjoy it?” St. Paul tried to explain it (cf. 1 Cor.… Continue reading
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Maundy Thursday: The Choice
With just four words, the CEO of the Boeing aircraft company taught corporate executives everywhere a powerful lesson about leadership. And he taught all of us a powerful lesson about our faith, one that’s especially appropriate for Maundy Thursday. Recent years have not been good for Boeing, so Dave Calhoun was hired four years ago… Continue reading
Aldous Huxley, American Revolution, Boeing, crisis of faith, Dave Calhoun, disciples of Jesus, discipleship, division, E.B. White, followers of Jesus, humility, Koyaanisqatsi, Last Supper, leadership, ministry of reconciliation, Orion, reconciliation, The American Crisis, The Choice Is Always Ours, Thomas Paine, today’s crisis, transparency, unfulfilled desires -
Palm Sunday: The Heart’s Ladder
Palm Sunday worship services traditionally begin with a reading from Mark’s gospel. It’s the description of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of his final week, the reading in which the crowd shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 1:9-10). Because the scriptures are a living… Continue reading
The Sauntering Pilgrim 