Well, here we are, on this lovely summer day, once again hearing that very familiar story that Jesus told about the Samaritan who did a good deed by helping an injured man. It is a story worth hearing again and again, I think, because it is both anchoring and challenging. It is anchoring because it … read
It was about this time of year, in July, twenty years ago, when I drove with my mom and my first born, Alex (who was about four), to visit Grandma Jean and Grandpa Archie at their farm in West Texas. The weather was hot, hot, hot! The land was parched. We walked out to one … read
I was remembering Father’s Day from the perspective of childhood. Around age nine, I wanted to do something very special for my dad for Father’s Day. Shopping with my mom, I spotted a men’s brown suede vest with long fringe. It sort of looked like something Daniel Boone or maybe one of the Beatles would … read
In an interview from 2002 with the Christian Century magazine, author Frederick Buechner made this observation. “I say the best thing that could happen to your church is for it to burn down and for all your fax and e-mail machines to be burned up, and for the minister to be run over by a … read
This week, I had a moment when I completely understood, in the fullness of my being, John Calvin’s doctrine of total depravity. Calvin held that, using Augustine’s notion of original sin, human beings cannot help but be bad, that our actions are displeasing to God, that without Christ, we are worthless. It’s a bleak understanding, … read
What is our prayer for this new year? Right off the bat, I can think of about a hundred things I would like God to take care of this year. The coronavirus, obviously. Climate change. Poverty. Cancer, Alzheimer’s, ALS. Gerrymandering that benefits whatever political party. Depression and anxiety. Catalytic converter theft. I could go on, … read