In Ancient Greece, “hypocrite” refers to the actor on the stage - the one who dons the thespian’s masks and makes believe - the pretender paid to entertain. Commentator Craig Evans notes that this idea of performance is likely in the background of Jesus’ warnings about...
Twenty-one years ago, I graduated seminary and was quickly called to my first ordained position – an Associate Pastor for Discipleship at a large, thriving, multicultural, urban church. I was excited and eager to pursue my vocation. My first day on the job, I met with...
Consider these stanzas from the opening section of Walt Whitman’s Song of the Open Road: Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. … (Still here I carry my old delicious burdens, I carry...
“The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll...
What the world needs now Is love, sweet love It's the only thing that there's just too little of What the world needs now Is love, sweet love No, not just for some, but for everyone Lord, we don't need another mountain There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb There are oceans...
A unique feature of the Gospel of John is that Jesus begins his ministry not with a theological claim or quotation from Scripture, but rather a question: “What are you looking for?” (1:38) Things are quite different with John the Baptist, the other main character in...
You can read part 1 of this post here. “Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his...
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree...
Doing the right thing is rarely the easy thing. Do the right thing, anyway. There are so many reasons to conclude that our world is spinning out of control. Many of us are nauseous from the noisy news cycles. Others are disillusioned by the disintegration of...