There’s an old story, no doubt apocryphal, about a juggler who was driving to his next performance. He’s stopped by a traffic cop who asks, “What are these matches and lighter fluid doing in your car?” Of course, the officer is wondering, “Could this be a potential arsonist, or even worse, a terrorist?” “I’m a […]
When I attended Columbia Seminary, they had a large wooden pulpit in the chapel. And I can tell you, it was nerve-wracking to stand up there and look out at all the professors and theology students. On the back of the pulpit, where only the preacher could see it, was a little plaque that read: […]
Over the past two days, we’ve reflected on David’s prayer for forgiveness in Psalm 51. He prays, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” He recognizes that he needs to change. Now, for some of us it’s recognizing that we need to change. But for others—there is another side to this. The problem is […]
Many years ago, before I went to seminary, I remember being in a Sunday school class where one of the men shared on a pretty deep level about how painful his divorce had been, and about how broken he felt. He said there was this one particular time when he and his wife were fighting, […]
In my Bible, under Psalm 51, there is a subtitle: “Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.” If you think about his life—if anyone would know about the need for cleansing and forgiveness, David would. He was a lowly […]
There is an old Rabbinic illustration that compares the act of prayer to riding in a small boat approaching a dock. From the perspective of the person in the boat, as you grasp a rope attached to the pier and pull yourself in, you may have the illusion for a few seconds that the boat […]
I love the dramatic call stories in the Bible. I didn’t have a dramatic call from God, but in a way, I can relate. In these stories, God’s call is almost always met with at least a little resistance. This is human nature, right? When Moses was called, he replied to God, “Who am I?” […]
I recently heard about a business executive who became depressed. Things were not going well at work, and he was bringing his problems home with him every night. Every evening, he would eat his dinner in silence. His wife and five-year-old daughter felt completely shut out. After several nights of this, one evening his daughter […]
Today, I am deeply grateful to those of you who have supported the Dial Hope Foundation with a financial donation. Hope reaches others because of you. Thank you! There was a woman in a community who was well known for her simple faith and grace under pressure. She had endured many trials and difficulties in […]
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” New Testament Scholar Dale Brunner says that here, Jesus claims not just to be bread, but The Bread. And it is bread that gives not just some life, but deep […]
