Saturday, January 4, 2020 | Reflections
We spend more than $600 billion annually on global advertising. Every cent of that money tells us that if we just buy the next shiny thing, we’ll be happy. Jesus never offers us easy promises. At the cross, he calls us to imitate nothing less than God. If imitating...
Friday, January 3, 2020 | Reflections
A few years ago I was out of work for the first time in my adult life. I ended up finding a sales job and lived solely off commissions. Each week was an exercise in faith. Through that experience I learned to feed on the “food that endures for eternal life.” Jesus...
Thursday, January 2, 2020 | Reflections
From the Archives: Saturday, November 16, 1935 What is the teaching of Christ about: war and peace; the training of youth; the economic injustices of our day; race barriers? Review the resolutions you have made this week. Talk out these subjects with others. Agree...
Wednesday, January 1, 2020 | Reflections
My wife and I enjoy following the British royal family. Their weddings, children, daily lives—we are fascinated by the wealth and privilege we can’t hope to attain in this life. The reading from Galatians reminds us that we are far wealthier than any royal house....
Tuesday, December 31, 2019 | Reflections
New year’s resolutions are intended to make our lives better in some way. Better habits, more productivity, less stress. I think James is right to remind us that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Today we stand on the precipice of clean slate, a fresh start, as...
Monday, December 30, 2019 | Reflections
New Sanctuary Coalition is an immigrant justice organization in New York that provides support and resources for immigrants: free legal clinics, court accompaniments, etc. They have made the very conscious choice to call all the people they work with friends—not...
Sunday, December 29, 2019 | Reflections
How against our very adult sensibilities it is to cry out to God as if a giddy child to a beloved parent. But God does indeed have for us perfect parental love—that unconditional, heart-bursting-out-of-your-chest love, a love that is deeply personal, bottomless, and...
Saturday, December 28, 2019 | Reflections
Have you ever assembled a tent? It’s not as simple as putting up some poles and throwing a tarp over them. To set up camp isn’t an arbitrary or fleeting action—it is a deliberate, intentional choice to settle in a place.To dwell somewhere—to abide—is setting up...
Friday, December 27, 2019 | Reflections
A seminary professor of mine, teaching about mission and evangelism, said: Remember: if it’s not working for you, don’t try to sell it to me.When I’m enthusiastic about a book, TV show, gadget, or a new store in my neighborhood, I eagerly share my feelings...
Thursday, December 26, 2019 | Reflections
In my years ministering in New York City, I have been especially humbled by people’s personal accounts of life on 9/11/2001. There are so many sensory and emotional details: the terror and fear, the smell of smoke, the ash that covered the city, the twelve miles I...
Wednesday, December 25, 2019 | Reflections
There is no news better than this: The fullness of God in Christ Jesus has come to restore all of creation. It’s what every prophecy has pointed toward. We can hardly wait to tear off the wrapping paper and enjoy this gift.The gift-wrapping is dingy bands of cloth....
Tuesday, December 24, 2019 | Reflections
Jesus comes among us as a baby fresh from his mother’s womb and continues gathering children close to him throughout his ministry. A little boy provides the fish and bread that feed 5,000. Jesus raises Jairus’s daughter to life again. Jesus pulls children near to him...
Monday, December 23, 2019 | Reflections
At a training I attended a few years ago, a discussion arose around leadership and authority models. The facilitator gave a helpful framework for effective leadership: power plus love. Power without love is treacherous. Love without power is anemic. Power and love...
Sunday, December 22, 2019 | Reflections
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” must be one of the most popular hymns of this season. The words alone are enough to break your heart and put it back together again. Ransomed captives. Mourning in lowly exile. God opening. God with us. Rejoice!This is the same bone-deep,...
Saturday, December 21, 2019 | Reflections
I recently went through an extremely dark, difficult season in life. I’m usually pretty upbeat, but life had crushed me to the point where I wasn’t myself anymore. As that season came to a close, I found myself visiting a friend’s church. At coffee hour, a person...
