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Blog postJesus was sitting with his disciples after a day of teaching in the temple. He’d just been talking with a Jewish teacher about the most important commandment. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” And, he said,” love your neighbor as yourself”.
When that conversation was over, and the crowd thinned out, Jesus and the disciples moved toward the entrance. Near the entrance of the temple, there w -
Blog postIn the United States, clocks got set back an hour last Sunday. As a result, people have been disoriented all week long. In that context, we had an election. As a result, people have been disgruntled all week long. In that context, the weather has changed, Christmas music has started, Halloween candy is disappearing too quickly.
We need rest.
We need lots of things, of course. Answers. Questions. Meaning. Reasons. Reason. Love.
But with all that, we need rest.
S -
Blog postI was staring at Psalm 63. Not really reading it. Focusing was hard, early Saturday morning. So I was just staring. Some phrases are familiar to me. I’ve read this song before. It’s somewhat hopeful, somewhat mournful.
But you know that feeling when you can’t make your brain engage and you sit staring at the words, looking for traction?
O God, you are my God.
Earnestly I seek you.
my soul thirsts for you.
my body longs for you
in a dry and weary land. < -
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Blog postBut what does this look like, this loving God and loving others?
For that we turn to a peculiar and challenging story. In Israel, in the 1200 BCs, there was a loose awareness of being a nation. The boundaries were fluid. There was no king. Instead, there were judges, people who would provide wisdom to resolve conflicts. They were leaders who God would call to step up if other countries were being too destructive.
At some point in this period, food ran out in Israel. There -
Blog post“What’s the most important commandment?” the man asked.
What a challenging question to ask a religious teacher. They were all important.
Earlier in his teaching, Jesus had said that ALL of the law mattered, that it was necessary to keep ALL of the law. How in the world could he now pick ONE of the commandment as the most important? Wasn’t that saying that some were less important? Maybe less worthy of being kept?
But Jesus answered, almost immediately.
“The mos -
Blog postLife is busy.
We get overwhelmed with lists and options and details. We hear people all around us telling us what we need to do, telling us what we ought to do, even demanding what we are not to do.
It gets overwhelming.
And we think that we must be busier than people have ever been, that we have more to do that people have ever done.
Perhaps that is true.
We certainly have more options for electronic distractions, calling to us at all hours of the day -
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Blog postGod has a sense of humor.
Heather and I (and Jay and Rachel) said goodbye to our son Ben last week. Not just any goodbye – but for two whole years.
He’s now in Italy, working with refugees arriving in Europe off boats from North Africa. He’s with a group called Care for Catania.
The irony of the situation is that our parents and siblings did the same thing back in 1993. Heather and I left the USA to serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators for three years in Nairobi, Keny -
Blog postNovember.
It’s the perfect month to start something or to end something or to try something. To stop shaving or to start giving thanks or to run every day or to not argue for a month or to write a novel. My plan for the first day of November is to breathe. And then run. And then give thanks. And then grade. I invite you to start or stop or try something. Or to simply breathe. -
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Blog postFor the past couple days, I’ve been talking about Job and Bartimaeus meeting with God. And one of the texts from last Sunday, along with those two stories, was a part of the writing in Hebrews talking about Jesus being a high priest, one who represents people to God.
As I was reflecting on the text, and then on the life of Jesus, I started to consider what it would look like to have someone who knows what it’s like to be human.
In his walking around earth, Jesus apparently wat -
Blog postMy first observation is this. Actually get to God.
Bartimaeus had one goal. Get the attention of Jesus.
As he was by the road, he heard a hubbub. A crowd was moving toward him. He asked what was happening. “Jesus of Nazareth is coming,” he was told.
For Bartimaeus, this isn’t a curiosity, this is opportunity for life. Because for Bartimaeus, this isn’t a street preacher, this isn’t a celebrity, this isn’t an event. When he starts to call out, Bartimaeus says, “Jesus, S -
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A Great Work: A Conversation With Nehemiah For People (Who Want To Be) Doing Great Works
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