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
Journal Entry December 26, 2022 Did I miss it again? I wrote that 11 months ago feeling miserable and disappointed with myself. It’s not as though I hadn’t tried. I had 90% of my Christmas shopping done by the Friday after Thanksgiving. Two days later I had finished Christmas decorating inside and out during another … Continue reading An Experiment: Stretching Out Advent
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven…and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke…but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” Revelation 10:1-4 Ever … Continue reading Ever Wonder What The Angel Shouts?
This evening’s prayer from Isaiah 43: v5 “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west. Bring home the Israeli hostages, Yahweh our God; Omer, Ron, Evyatar, Karina, Bar, and all the others. All the men, the women, … Continue reading Bring Them Home
I wrote out this list as a bit of a time capsule for myself, wishing I had done so at 40 and wondering how it will shift at 60. The perspective and wisdom gained with each decade feels like compounding interest—each period yielding more than the previous. Never walk so fast that you miss the … Continue reading 50 Reflections at 50
When I write something I’m thinking about publishing on my blog, I constantly refer to a thesaurus. A good writer, by our modern definition, mixes up words and phrases. Repetition makes for boring reading. But biblical authors would take issue with that. Repetition, they would say, makes for spirited reading. Using the same word over … Continue reading I See You. I Am Here. (part 3)
We ended the first part of this account in a very dark place. Sarai’s plan A for a family—waiting to receive God’s promise—hasn’t worked out in a decade. Plan B—pushing her own solution and timetable—has lead to family hostilities. And she still has no children. Abram is making bad decisions right and left. Hagar, assaulted … Continue reading I See You. I Am Here. (part 2)
