“The Three Gates of Speech” is often credited to the 13th-century Persian poet and Islamic scholar Rumi, who supposedly said: Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: At the first gate, ask yourself, “Is it true?” At the second gate, ask, “Is it necessary?” At the third gate, ask, “Is it kind?” … read
What if no one lived in poverty? That’s the question that kept floating to the front of my brain this week as I studied the text from James. As I said in last Sunday’s sermon, the letter of James is bracing and direct. James does not mince words when it comes to teaching how the … read
Most of us really don’t like being told what to do, except when we ask someone to tell us what to do. Even then, we might not like what we hear. For better or worse, we have an entire epistle telling us what to do as faithful Christians, whether we want it or not. The … read
So, how’s everyone’s week of the third heat wave of the summer and the Delta variant been? Don’t you just love changing plans? Isn’t it great to be reminded of our climate crisis in real time? And this Delta variant. The back and forth, masks, no masks, masks again. Being annoyed at unvaccinated people or … read
When I was young, a favorite TV show our family watched– was Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. I especially enjoyed the comedian Flip Wilson, who told outrageous stories, and then confessed: “The devil made me do it!” To us, the devil can seem comical, and an archaic notion. But, hold on. . . think about what’s happening: the … read
You would think I would have seen the film Das Boot sooner, given that my son always maintained that the 1981 film is one of the best ever made. What struck me as I watched it in July was how well it unpacked today’s text from Ephesians 4. Das Boot covers, in a mere 5 … read