A reflection on Psalm 131 from a few years ago. I want a quieted soul. Not a slug-like soul, unable to respond quickly. Not a blob-of-oatmeal-like soul, passionless and benign by design. Helpful, yes, for heart-health and non-irritating for the gluten-resistant, but not noted for controlled creativity. I want a soul which, though capable of sleep-destroying […]

A long story from Acts 6-8:1 Stephen was living in Jerusalem not long after Jesus died, rose, and ascended to heaven. We don’t have many facts about his life, but there are several things we can figure out. Although he was Jewish, he probably wasn’t from Jerusalem. The name “Stephen” is Greek, not Hebrew. He […]

Jesus was standing on the edge of the hill. The crowd was behind him, beside him. Their plan, as much as they had one, was to push Jesus off the cliff. I think, as I read the text (read it yourself), that their motives were mixed, as motives always are. I think they thought they […]

Jesus was in trouble. People were mad at him. He had been healing people all around the region, an area about twice the size of Allen County. And then he returned to his hometown of Nazareth, a village about the size of Ashley or Hudson, maybe 400-600 people. Most people in the community synagogue knew […]

God. You invite us into relationship with you. You send us to do your work. We don’t feel worthy of either one. Except sometimes. Sometimes we expect you to help us work on our terms. We demand your love on our terms. We say, “If you really loved us, you would fix this, you would […]