The Apostle Peter once said, “Now I truly know that God shows no partiality!” (Acts 10) Jesus had spoken to him in a dream, and he made it crystal clear that even the gentiles, people so utterly different than Peter, were welcome and loved by God.” In his book, “Learning to Lead,” Fred Smith writes, […]
Mark Twain once said, “The rain is famous for falling on the just and unjust alike, but if I had the management of such affairs, I would rain softly and sweetly on the just, but if I caught a sample of the unjust outdoors, I would drown him.” I think most of us can relate! […]
Over the last few days, I’ve been reflecting on this passage of scripture from the Gospel of Matthew 14:22-33, where Jesus comes to the disciples on the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a storm. There is another part of this scripture. You may remember that in the heart of the storm, Peter feels […]
Over the past two days, we reflected on Jesus coming to the disciples, walking on water through the heart of a storm. And I’ve been reflecting on the questions we sometimes have in those kinds of moments, when it feels as though the wind is howling and waves are beating. I’m ever reminded that God’s […]
Yesterday we reflected on the passage of scripture from the Gospel of Matthew 14:22-33, where Jesus comes to the disciples on the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a storm. I mentioned yesterday that when I was studying this passage, I was struck by something the biblical scholar Dale Bruner suggested. He picks up […]
There is quite a dramatic scene in the Gospel of Matthew. The disciples are out on the Sea of Galilee as darkness begins to fall and a storm rolls in. The winds commence to howl, and the waves are battering the boat. They are far from land, and we can imagine the worry and anxiety […]
The 23rd Psalm has been a beloved Psalm for people of faith for thousands of years. It has been recited at funerals and in foxholes. It has been said at kitchen tables and while kneeling at bedsides. It has been repeated across the world and history by millions of people when feeling alone, afraid, or […]
Several years ago there was a story in the news about two men living in Lincoln, Nebraska. One of them, a man named Larry Trapp, was wheelchair-bound and had been diagnosed with a fatal disease. Larry was also bound, not only by disease but also by crippling hatred. He was a Grand Dragon in the […]
In one of the Gospel stories, Jesus heals ten lepers; but only one returns to give thanks. It’s interesting, Jesus tells the man who turns back, “Your faith has saved you.” Another translation reads, “Your faith has made you whole.” So, ten lepers were made clean, but one of them received something more. A friend […]
Over the last few days, I’ve been reflecting on hospitality. I’m reminded of an older nun I met years ago who had served all over the world. I met her at a Catholic retreat center in Europe, and I felt immediately drawn to her. She had this presence about her, and she really took the […]
