(7 minutes) History is not a blind alley, and guilt is not an abyss. There is always a way that leads out of guilt: repentance or turning to God. The prophet is a person who, living in dismay, has the power to transcend his dismay. Over all the darkness of… Continue reading
Valentine’s Day is upon us. Heart-shaped cakes, boxes of candy, cards, and roses are some of the images this holiday evokes. I remember as an elementary student all of the excitement as we each passed out our Valentines to our friends and to that special someone we hoped would “be… Continue reading
The Bible constantly surprises and even at times shocks anyone who reads it with an open mind and a receptive heart. Among the biggest surprises is the number of times in the Hebrew Scriptures God negotiates with God’s people and even drastically changes the Divine Mind. Such a God does… Continue reading
The only way I know to address the selfishness and greed of our society is to question some of the assumptions held closest and dearest to our hearts. And seldom does any culture do that voluntarily. Almost always such a change comes only through catastrophe. Continue reading
Do not follow where the path may lead. Follow God, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail. I came across this quote many years ago. I have no idea who is responsible for the pithy manner in which this wisdom has been expressed, but it struck me… Continue reading
I am writing this article during the week before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January of 2019. In the midst of all the deceit and demagoguery coming from the White House and the President’s flunkies, the blatant racist words and deeds in so many arenas, and the cowardice of… Continue reading
Some years ago I taught a course on the life and teachings of Jesus in the Church of the Brethren. We spent a lot of time on the Kingdom of God since every New Testament scholar agrees that Jesus’ message was the Kingdom of God. Part of what Jesus meant… Continue reading
(7 minutes) As I reflect on my spiritual journey, I realize that my concept of prayer is very different from what it was many years ago. I hope that this is a result of some maturing in the faith. So often we are tempted to think of prayer as our… Continue reading
Four decades ago as an idealistic seminary student I assumed that by the beginning of the third millennium we would have moved beyond prejudice, racism, ethnic slurs, discrimination, and economic disenfranchisement. But here we are in 2019 with racism very much with us as well as a deep suspicion toward… Continue reading
(8 minutes) I believe it was the homiletics professor and minister John Killinger who once said that “Jesus is God’s answer to a bad reputation.” I have often thought of the truth of that pithy statement, especially when I consider the way God is used and abused in our world…. Continue reading
