We didn’t make much of Lent when I was growing up. We were kinda-sorta Methodist. The lower working-class neighborhood we lived in was predominately Roman Catholic. I remember my neighborhood friends discussing what they could give up for Lent with the least amount of pain. (Bubble gum, but not Juicy Fruit.) I came to faith in the Jesus Movement, which was all about praise and worship and expectation of the second coming, which was nice, but, again, no mention of Lent. I was

Language is never static. Conversely, it evolves, develops, and takes on varying nuances and meanings. Cases in point: The Hebrew scriptures were written over a long period of history from nomadic tribal conflicts through vast powerful empires. The Christian scriptures were written during the dominance of the Roman Empire with its despotic emperors and brutal military. Most early followers of Jesus were poor, lower-class, or enslaved. As a result, the Bible refers to God as F

Wednesday, February 11, 2026, will be my 75 th  birthday and the 40 th  anniversary of my son Elliott’s suicide. He would be 55-years-old. Valentine’s Day will mark the 40 th  anniversary of his burial in Memorial Gardens, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Everything changed forty years ago. A weak genetic link snapped. Depression descended like a thick wet quilt. Sorrow erupted from some unconscious crypt and washed over me time and again like relentless brutal surf and murderous

There are introverts who aren’t empathetic and there are extroverts who are, but for now, let’s talk about those folks who are both introverted and empathetic. The combination is often misunderstood, but actually quite lovely. Personality research uses different terms, but many people recognize themselves in these patterns of needing solitude and feeling others’ emotions deeply. Introverts Introverts draw their energy from silence, solitude, and alone time, whereas extroverts

People often say, “Let God be God.” I never understood that. Of course, God is God. No one needs to let God be who God is. But I think what people meant might be more along the lines of advice my spiritual director gave me when he said, “Let God do what only God can do.” In other words, stop trying to do what only God can do. Get out of the way. For example: I cannot form myself into the image of Christ. I can make myself available, tell God of my desire, pray scripture, and

Why is There Evil? Recently in Cincinnati where I live, a sweet, vibrant, smart 11-year-old girl full of life and potential and part of a large loving family was gunned down in a playground by a drive-by shooter. As our Bible study group joined with many others grieving, the question was raised, “Why? Why, Lord? I don’t get it. I don’t understand. How could anyone do such a thing?” We try to explain evil in terms of freewill. God created us with freewill. The person (still at

Lawrence R. Taylor, PhD     There is a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in. —Leonard Cohen, “Anthem”     It is quite possible to live our lives sailing on the surface of the sea, unaware of the splendid, awe-inspiring, mysterious depths.   We enter the world laden with the blessings and baggage of family, clan, and culture. As we grow, we naturally take on the expectations of the people and institutions around us. We develop personae . We must.   Personae are m

There is always more to learn, more to discover. Each discovery opens up a thousand more yet to come. The more I know, the more I realize how much I do not know. God is infinite. God’s love is infinite. God’s heart is infinite. When I was a young pastor in rural Minnesota, an elderly congregant expressed his fear that heaven might be rather boring.  What are we going to do? Sit on a cloud playing a harp? Be locked in an eternal church service? Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–394 CE)

YHWH is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? One thing I have longed for, yearned for, sought after, like a thirsty antelope that’s been running for hours in the rocky wilderness – one thing – to live in the Divine House of Love wherein lies Beauty and Truth. Splendor and beauty emanating from their Source. Exploding, swirling nebulae, dancing curtains of aura borealis, breaching humpback whales, shimmering mackerel, scurrying hermit crabs, swaying kelp, baby’s first

Why are we inundated with lying, corrupt, greedy, immoral, uncaring leaders? How can ICE agents be so cruel? Why is there still police brutality? Why do we elect and follow immoral people? How many media moguls have crashed and burned because of their misogyny? What’s with all these religious leaders caught in scandals? Are these anomalies – a few bad apples? Or is something deeper going on? Some of these toxic people undoubtedly started out as sociopaths, incapable of feelin

God is love. (1 John 4:8b) Therefore: God is patient, longsuffering. God never gives up on anyone. God is kind. God cares deeply about every living thing. God is not envious of anyone or anything. God is never boastful or arrogant. God is meek, humble. God is never rude or coercive. God doesn’t force Godself on anyone. God is not irritable. God does not keep account of sins or wrongdoing. God carries no grudges. God rejoices in truth, never in injustice. God looks for the bes

How we view God is essential. If we see God as harsh, demanding, or stern, we might obey, but we won’t love. Yet, in much of the Hebrew scriptures, that is exactly how God is portrayed. Worse, if we envision a God who orders genocide, hates certain people-groups, and tortures humans in everlasting fire, we will know nothing beyond fear. Ever since the homogenization of church and state (which began when Emperor Theodosius the First issued the Edict of Thessalonica in 380, dec

Life can feel like living in the desert for anyone facing financial, emotional, relational, medical, or societal pressure. Alternatively, we may feel like we’re drowning in an angry turbulent sea. Wilderness and sea – the two biblical analogies representing chaos, existential angst, overwhelming difficulties, the threat of nonbeing. Ancient peoples could not live in either the wilderness or the sea. Modern people cannot either without significant technology to alter the envir

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Vincent Van Gogh depicted spiritual light in every dwelling of his starry night painting except for the church, which remains dark....

I’ve been through some severe traumas in my life. Each one shattered a persona, an image of who I thought I was – successful husband,...

A most hopeless case. Alone, he lay in a reverse-isolation ICU room with no hope of surviving the day. No amount of opioids and fentanyl...

“Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees;” (John the baptizer, Matthew 3:10a, NRSVUE) Though we may tend to not recognize it,...

Mystery I believe that God is making all things new. I believe that all evil will eventually be eliminated. I believe there is coming a...