I love the book of Jonah. I especially love how real and human Jonah comes across. He runs from God. He repents only when he finds himself in deep deep trouble. And, he gets mad when God forgives his enemies! Jonah claims that he is mad enough to die! Not that Jonah is the kind […]
I understand that Navajo weavers developed a tradition called the “Spirit-Trail,” as they wove their beautiful blankets. The Spirit Trail is created by the weaver deliberately forming a break in the line of their pattern. This “break” could be as simple as a single contrasting color thread, flowing across the otherwise orderly pattern. This was […]
Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on neighboring farms fell into conflict. One morning, a young carpenter stopped by the older brother’s farm, wanting to know if the farmer had a little work. Yes,” he replied. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek. That’s my younger brother’s farm. Last […]
Some time ago, I read a magazine article entitled, “Drifting Toward Hope” by a man named Vinh Chung. As a small child, Chung was a refugee from Vietnam – who set out with his family on a small boat. Somehow they were rescued at sea, and his family was taken in by a Lutheran church […]
Some time back, I heard an interview with a Catholic priest who happened to disagree with the Vatican on a major issue. When he was asked why he stayed with his church, even though he thoroughly disagreed with this teaching, he said, “When I was growing up, it was expected for us to be at […]
We don’t have many rights of passage these days. But in old times, and in other cultures, there were many. There’s an old story from an indigenous culture passed on to me about the right of passage from boyhood to manhood. A father took his boy into the forest, blindfolded him and left him alone. […]
There is an Old Testament scholar, Gerhard Von Rad, who claims that the whole idea of faith for ancient Israel came out of the dangerous contexts of war. Think about where Israel is geographically. They were in the perfect bridge position between Europe / Asia and Africa, and they were always under threat from foreign […]
I remember many years ago now, talking to Rev. Do In Kim about the possibility of his Korean New Church Development nesting with the church where I was serving. We spent some time reflecting on all the difficulties and details of how to make that work – two very different cultures and communities sharing space […]
A friend was telling me that when he first came back to the church as a young adult after he married, he and his wife weren’t sure about this church thing. He was especially skeptical. He used to say things like, “I believe in God, not an institution.” But he was having a hard time […]
In the book of Isaiah, chapter 43, verse 15, there is this beautiful line where God says, “I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your Sovereign…” Take a minute and let that sink in… Do we trust that Holy One we worship is Sovereign? With all that is going on […]
