Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
Since retiring a few years ago, I’ve been adrift from congregational life. I’ve followed the mandate that you separate yourself from the last congregation to which you’ve been appointed. That gives the new pastor the opportunity to form relationships that are important for pastoral duties. In this outside-church period, I’ve discovered how difficult it is …
In a church I served, two flags were prominently displayed in the chancel area. On one side, the Christian flag. On the other, that of the United States. Throughout my years there, this simple display generated interesting conversations. One was started by a gentleman who stated that we should display the American flag more prominently, …
Whoever comes to you who does not affirm this teaching should not be received nor welcomed into your home, because welcoming people like that is the same thing as sharing in their evil actions. — 2 John 10-11 The first time I read these verses, I was a bit shocked. Aren’t we supposed to be …
As I see social media posts and read stories and blogs, I grow more convinced that we choose our own reality. As Father Richard Rohr expressed, “People with a distorted image of self, world, or God will be largely incapable of experiencing what is Really Real in the world. They’ll see instead what they need …
I would really like to believe that the suffering invested in the civil rights movement has paid dividends in putting racism behind us. That is delusional, of course, yet it’s curious that some of the racist stuff we see comes from those who claim it’s not a problem anymore. Instead, racism has evolved into a …
When something seems clear-cut to me, and a person believes something different, one question comes to my mind: Why don’t they see it as clearly as they should? This question reveals my arrogance and self-righteousness, of course. The person with whom I disagree is thinking the same thing about me. Hence our human dilemma. A …
Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. — Galatians 6:2 The horror of the elementary school murders in Uvalde has followed the script with which we’ve become all too familiar. Shock. Pain. Grief. Sorrow. Outrage. Calls for gun restrictions. Thoughts and prayers. There was one reaction that surprised me, though. …
Good Friday is an enigma. “Good”, describing the day an innocent man died horribly, is a weird tag. But maybe it’s good when seen within the context of three other words that begin with “G.” Gently. Fear is the residue of imagining we can control things and then realizing we can’t. Instead of scrubbing every …
After Jesus said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going away and as they were staring toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood next to them. They said, “Galileans, why are you standing here, looking toward heaven?…” (Acts 1:9-11a) …
Jesus began to cry. – John 11:35 It’s the strangest thing. I find myself tearing up more as I grow older. It’s not sentimental crying, like I always do at the end of Field of Dreams (“Hey Dad—wanna play catch?”). No, the tears today come out of nowhere and catch me by surprise. This morning …