I like singing, but I’m no good at it. That’s why I like music in the privacy of my car. Windows rolled up, music loud, cruising down the road pretending to be Celine Dion. My heart will go on and on, and no one’s ears will be hurt by it. When Disney-Pixar’s movie Cars was … Continue reading Life Is A Highway, Or Maybe It Isn’t
I always feel relief on January 2nd. Whew, I made it through another holiday dash and persevered through certain anniversaries. Sometimes the relief is kissed with optimism. I’m filled with the hope of the Christ Child. With a fresh calendar in front of me, I’m ready to give my New Year’s resolutions a hearty go. … Continue reading Finding The Warmth of Good King Wenceslas
A band of brothers jealous. A family with a legacy of deception. A brother sold into slavery, stripped of his identity, moved across borders. One brother angry about the decision. A father in grief inconsolable. The oldest brother moves away, physically and relationally, from his family. In time, he too is overwhelmed by grief and … Continue reading Colossal Mess or Miracle?
What if Saint John was wrong? “The light shines in the darkness,” he wrote, “and the darkness has not overcome it.” Except when it does. When the line of cars awaiting food boxes in our church parking lot grows longer each month while the pallets of rice, beans, grapes, and oatmeal shrink as federal funds … Continue reading All The Light I Cannot See
So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes.” ~Genesis 18:6So Jesus was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like?…It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour until it worked all through the … Continue reading Of Yeast & Generosity
The text message I received was simply “Dave lost his battle with cancer today.” My reply was simple too, “I’m so sorry to hear this.” The man was a friend of my brother’s living in a different country. Someone I had never met. Yet still a death with rolling waves of grief. A mere prayer … Continue reading Say Only That I Won
My pastor’s name is Robert “The Jazz Theologian” Gelinas and what follows is my 🎶 riff 🎶 on his sermon from Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43. “We’ve got bad news, boss.” I wonder how the workers decided which of them would deliver this report. Did they draw straws? Play rock-paper-scissors? Or maybe the most senior one stepped … Continue reading Who Weeds Out The Weeds?
Zeus. That’s it. Just Zeus. The only name I remember from grade school Greek mythology. The way I figured it back then, I knew God the Father, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Ghost. What need could I possibly have to know the names of Greek and Roman gods? Decades later I landed on a … Continue reading Jesus, Zeus, and the I Am
When I am patient… I do not have to carry the regret of sharp words spoken. When I am generous… I do not have to struggle to fall asleep with coldness in my heart. When I am truthful… I do not feel the fear of keeping my story straight. When I am humble… I do … Continue reading Jesus, Jon Batiste, and A Freedom Song
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and … Continue reading Magi Conversations
Lord, Come Quickly 