I'm writing this reflection in the middle of the summer in the United States. In this season, thousands of people are camping out, cooking on an open grill, enjoying the fresh scent of...
Psalm 60 was written in a time when Israel had been reeling under God’s judgment. He had used Israel’s enemies to discipline the people for their faithlessness. In this context, David cried out...
A friend leaned over the table at Starbucks yesterday morning during a pre-work chat and confided, "You really don’t want to know...
Last night, my wife Margie read from and signed copies of her book, The Exact Place. Anita had filled Toad Hall with candles and flowers, arranged chairs so everyone could hear easily, made...
When I was in school, I was taught to avoid mixed metaphors. A mixed metaphor combines two metaphors in a way that...
Twelve years ago, I remember standing in the kitchen of our first home, the one my wife and I bought about eighteen months into our marriage. It was very early on a Saturday...
Almost exactly fifty years ago, I went forward at a Billy Graham crusade in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. One might truly say I responded to the invitation to become a Christian or...
Why am I a pastor? I can’t make God heal people or fix their lives. I can’t make God speak to people or answer their questions. I can’t make God palatable to postmodern...
"If you want to be successful, you need to discover your inner power. You need to find the strength that is hidden within you. You need to believe in yourself. If you have...
One of the greatest returns on the investment of rest during vacation with my family is the seemingly insignificant lawn chair conversations...
Scholars identify Psalm 58 as an imprecatory psalm. Literally, this means it includes cursing of one’s enemies. In the case of Psalm 58, the curses are directed at wicked leaders who judge their...
Today's reflection will offer my final thoughts on how the church—including you—can reveal the manifold wisdom of God to the world (and...
My grandfather delivered milk directly to his customer’s doors. When I was a boy, our family doctor made house calls. And, not...
Just the other day I saw a photo of Bono, famed front man of Irish rock band U2, celebrating his 53rd birthday...
I sit in the pew and look up at the choir members as they sing one of my favorite hymns. In front...
College students aren't the only ones struggling with their calling. Many adults fail to discover their calling in life, too. Why is...
Human beings and, indeed, the power that fills the cosmos, will not be inclined to believe our message unless they see evidence...
In the introduction to her book The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time, Judith Shulevitz says of the Conservative...
When was the last time you attended a really great meeting? If you're like me, you had to think hard about that.
How can the church make God's wisdom known to the world and, indeed, to the whole cosmos? And, on a personal note...
