I was amazed. It started with the first peek over the rim. The closer I got, the deeper it went, and the more the impression grew. There is no way to feel like you’re some sort of big deal when you first encounter the Grand Canyon. It is incomprehensibly enormous. The statistics don’t do it […]
Love
Being at Home
(Read John 15) The last couple of years, we’ve been forced to hunker down. When the weather’s nasty, it’s easy to get a warm mug of something to drink, a good book, a snuggly blanket, and just hibernate. However, the pandemic forced us inside for more than just a season. For some of us, we […]
Unmistakable Love
(Read John 13) The whole idea of washing someone else’s feet (or having them wash yours) makes many people cringe. Just the thought of becoming that physically engaged with someone with whom we are not intimate makes us uncomfortable. And maybe that’s the point of Jesus’ actions as recorded in this passage. Some time ago, […]
Dirt, Dust, and Ashes
Ah, Ash Wednesday! What a bittersweet reminder of what we really are… Say what? Human beings began as dirt. It wasn’t the wholesome substance with which we are familiar and in which something might grow. No, according to Scripture, humans were created from dry dust. Genesis 2:7 makes it clear that God started with the […]
All We Need
The Beatles once sang a popular song that had the very repetitious line “All you need is love.” There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done. Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung. … There’s nothing you can make that can’t be made. … There’s nothing you can know that isn’t known. Nothing […]
Difficult Times Produce Amazing Qualities
I heard a song recently by Sanctus Real entitled Confidence. I like the song. It’s got good lyrics, an upbeat tempo, and a singable melody. There are some parts of it that give me pause, however. The refrain refers to Daniel’s faith, Moses’ hope, and David’s heart, and the singer asks that God would grant […]
Vax or No Vax: My Confession
I’m going public. I’m vaccinated. I got vaccinated very early in the process, when there were still lines of folks waiting for it and qualifications to get it. Why did I do this? I’m a Christian leader. I am constantly called to directly interact with people closely whom I don’t always know well. They are […]
Tell-Tale Fruit (Luke 6:43-45)
(Click here to read the passage) I love trees. I can sit and stare at the big oak in front of our house for hours, tracing the branches, wondering at its shape, imagining how many leaves it has, and watching the wildlife that abides under its protection. In the fall, I am always taken aback […]