It’s almost as if there is a sigh of relief, a relaxation, an excitement even, in the Christian community these days, because there is a widespread belief that the Second Coming of Christ is immanent. Things are so bad that he has to come! How could it be worse with the church under attack and […]

I was praying a month or so ago with my hands open, palms up—not my usual hand position– when this phrase came to mind, “Open-handed, open-hearted, open-minded.” I was going to add open-souled when I realized that the soul is the part of us that is always open to God. Then I found this passage […]

This week we continue the theme of what Jesus said about God. Thus far Jesus has described God as Gardener, Pruner, Sower, Father, Investor in us of his “capital” which is love and the One who treats everyone equally. Big shoes that only God can fill! And so we go to the last teachings of […]

I’ve been doing some research into the Gospels lately about what did Jesus actually say about God. And it’s been interesting to see what qualities he is promoting about God. This weeks’ post and next weeks’ share this common theme. First and foremost, he talks about God as the gardener and the pruner[John 15: 1-17]. […]

A child is born into an alien world. He has just come, that is, his soul has just come from Eden, from a state of oneness with God. And here, s/he finds him or herself in a body, in a world where God is not so present, so visible. And so the babe, as s/he […]

I am beginning to write a book about the Exodus story being our story, too. My thesis is that it is the template that God left us for how we get out of slavery to the world and into the kingdom of God. As I contemplate the passages in these five books of the Bible—Exodus, […]

Eight years ago when I launched this blog I was writing on the same topic as I am today– how to live a life centered in God—but today I write with a stronger voice, a harder-hitting voice. Five years ago we were just beginning to pull out of the recession of 2008, things were beginning […]

We know exactly what it feels like to be obedient. We toe the line. We do exactly what is expected of us. We follow each and every rule, crossing every “t” and dotting every “I” so that we get it exactly right. This is how we as children had to remember to behave, because it […]

One of the great lessons I learned in 37 years of marriage was this: when Hank was mad at me, I had triggered some memory in him that caused him to react, but that I was not the source of his anger. Inadvertently I might have pushed his buttons, and on some days, maybe I […]

Wading down into the deeper waters of the Jordan River… Putting himself in John’s hands who would immerse him in the sacred waters…Rising again, soaked and dripping wet…Climbing up the bank…Seeing the heavens torn open and the dove descending…God’s voice coming from heaven: ”You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well […]