17 Dec, 2018
John Shea tells a story about seeing a woman in a Jewel Food Store parking lot three days before Christmas putting bags of groceries in her trunk and muttering over and over to herself, “I’m not going to make it. I’m not going to make it.” As...
10 Dec, 2018
It's time for a true confession: this year and last Christmas season, Julie and I have sort of binge-watched Hallmark Christmas movies. Seriously, I’m a sucker for a happy ending, true love, and the wonder and magic of Christmas bringing people...
03 Dec, 2018
The days are surely coming, says YHWH, when I will bestow on Israel and Judah all the blessings I promised them. In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous branch from the line of David, who will bring justice and integrity to...
27 Nov, 2018
Last Sunday marked the end of the Christian calendar year and was celebrated by churches all around the world as Christ the King Sunday. Personally, I think Jesus would have been appalled at the title, but let’s take a look at it. Where did it...
19 Nov, 2018
I wonder how much we really pay attention to our thoughts, and especially to how much of our thinking might be negative and unhelpful? I typically consider myself an optimistic, glass half-full person. But I realize that I’m more than capable...
12 Nov, 2018
Here’s the bottom line… our stories have to change before the world changes. The stories we tell ourselves and our children about who we are and who God is are the foundational building blocks of our understanding and the way we behave and...
05 Nov, 2018
My mother died of breast cancer when I was 17. We had the service in the funeral home because we weren’t part of a church, and back then in our family it was traditional to open your home after the service and have people over for a potluck...
23 Oct, 2018
In the story of Jesus and the blind man, Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), Jesus asks Barimaeus, "What would you have me do for you?" and Bartimaeus responds, "I want to see." As I read this scripture I wonder, if Jesus asked us today, “What do you...
15 Oct, 2018
Resilience is our ability to bounce back from adversity, stress, trauma or challenges in life. How bouncy are we? And what does spirituality have to do with bounciness? And why are some people more bouncy than others? We all know people who...
08 Oct, 2018
If someone said to you that you were a dreamer, how would you take it? Probably negatively. These days it’s a pejorative saying to call someone a dreamer. It means you’re not in touch with reality, or they think that what you’re dreaming is...