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Jesus had been in disguise, sort of. He had fit with all their understanding of what a messiah should be. Jesus was the kind of hero they were comfortable with. Looked like them, was from where they were from, and yet was so much different. Before they could say anything about the glory, more people […]

Rich Dixon is helping us sort through suffering. +++ Our pastor said something in a sermon a while back that’s been circling my brain. She was talking about healing, and she said: Suffering is wanting what you don’t have, or having with you don’t want. I’ve been thinking a great deal about those two conditions. […]

Jesus invited the disciples and a nearby crowd to follow him. It feels obvious, since they were somewhere north of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples wouldn’t have been there unless Jesus had gone up there and they followed him. But Mark is at the midpoint of the gospel he’s writing, and the story is […]

Picking on Peter is a common pastime for preachers and teachers in church. Peter is seen as impetuous, explosive. He says what he thinks, but he doesn’t think much. And then he ends up in charge. Sometimes, perhaps, people talk about him to excuse our own impetuosity as leaders. “I know I’m headstrong, but look […]

God. I think that we’re wrong about you, most of us, most of the time. We talk as if you are judging us with plague and pestilence.We talk as if the most important thing to you is gathering in buildings.We talk as if you are most in love with – or least angry at – […]