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The author reflects on the power of quotes and highlights a significant one by Jim Thompson, emphasizing that “things are not what they seem.” This notion is illustrated through Jesus’ life and resurrection during Easter, suggesting that despite appearances, there is always hope for redemption and new beginnings in life. Read more
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One of my favorite writers, Barbara Brown Taylor, once observed that most Christians keep eight of the Ten Commandments. The first many neglect is the 2nd—the prohibition against graven images. (In 787 AD, the Second Council of Nicaea affirmed that because God had come to earth in human form, images of Jesus were permissible. Since… Read more
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No, “cianalas” is not a word usually connected to Christmas, but it reminds me of Christmas. In Scotland it is a Gaelic word that we have no direct translation for in English. But it means a kind of longing for home and all that means. It’s a yearning not just for a specific place but… Read more
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“Have faith”. Maybe somebody has said that to us. Maybe we have said it to ourselves. Most of us would say we have faith, but aren’t there times when we wish our faith was deeper and greater? Aren’t there moments when we think our faith isn’t as strong as it should be, or as robust… Read more
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The first of some video reflections I will be posting. Read more
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The way John begins his account of that first Easter is like this – “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.” Easter begins in the darkness. On that Sunday, when Mary woke… Read more
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Each year of my ministry we offered a Maundy Thursday service of Tenebrae. I have to admit that it was always one of the least attended services of the year, but it was also one that I found the most meaningful. Yes, the last hours of Jesus’ life and his crucifixion are hard to hear… Read more
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Recently, while flying home from Saudi Arabia, just as Lent was beginning, I looked out the plane window as we passed over the Sinai. This is the region where the Book of Exodus tells us that Moses and the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years. The landscape I saw was stark and barren—truly a… Read more
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God, we thank you for the gift of this season of Lent. As we enter this time, may we be filled with your spirit, so that we might grow deeper in your love. As we begin this journey, we think about Jesus in the wilderness – being tested – we remember that he did this… Read more
Renewed in Spirit 