• More than dogs

    More than dogs

    Given our country’s spotty record on race relations, on exploitation of others, it is far too easy for us to ignore our place in the mess. a call to reconciliation Proper 18B  |  Mark 7:24-37 Feeding the dog We don’t know the original question the woman asks Jesus. Only its subject and that she begs.…

  • Aylan and the Others

    I didn’t think of him (maybe I did). More like I tried not to think of how small he once was. But his wasn’t the first I saw, the first, “chilling” she called it, I couldn’t take. It was of a boy on his back, shirt below his chin like when he shows his belly…

  • My deeply held religious belief

    My deeply held religious belief

    I’ve grown quite tired of the phrases “deeply held belief” and “sincerely held religious belief”. They’ve been coming up a lot lately, especially with that interesting woman from Kentucky. Or those people with the restaurant or the one with the bakery. But we know it from the Hobby Lobby decision. Deeply held, sincerely held belief. We…

  • Denali: the kind of symbolic gesture we’ve needed so that maybe now we can stop being dicks

    Denali: the kind of symbolic gesture we’ve needed so that maybe now we can stop being dicks

    When I read the news that the White House would change the name of North America’s highest peak, I was elated. And thankful. Mt. McKinley will now be Denali. Outstanding! The article was posted under the headline on Yahoo!’s frontpage: Obama renames North America’s highest peak The president’s action is a symbolic gesture to Alaska Natives on the…

  • Breaking the rules with Jesus

    Breaking the rules with Jesus

    We are so much like the Pharisees. We really are. We focus on the rules, not their purpose or how they encourage us to build strong relationships with GOD, one another, and the wider community. That is their purpose: those relationships. The rules are supposed to lead us to GOD. But we rather stay where we’re at…

  • The parable of the deceitful contractors

    The parable of the deceitful contractors

    A family was huddled in their house. The power had gone out briefly. They hadn’t packed provisions. Unsure of what was really going on outside. Then, a knock at the door. On the porch, a group of men and women, water dripping from umbrellas begin to speak. “I know it is nasty outside, but we…

  • Afflicting the comfortable

    Afflicting the comfortable

    For all the struggle and confusion and offense we take, with one another, we aren’t called to perfection or to be a church that makes everybody feel good all the time. We’re called to be at least a little uncomfortable because we need it to build the Kingdom of GOD, bring it closer, make it…

  • I can only hold 2 things in my brain at once

    I can only hold 2 things in my brain at once

    I’m going to the store! I tell her. We need milk for cereal in the morning. There isn’t enough in the fridge. I grab the keys. [bctt tweet=”‘There isn’t room in my brain for any of these other things.’” nofollow=”yes”] Do we need anything else? We could use some bread. She tells me. and some…