James and John get a lot of flak from the other ten. Are the ten jealous of the brothers’ boldness—their ability to ask the question? Do the other disciples think them...

Sometimes we need to speak up to get where we want to go. James and John do just that. They say point-blank to Jesus words to this effect, “Do something for...

Then there’s Jesus Christ, who meets us where we are and deals gently with us. Today, tomorrow, forever. Being a high priest for all and forever is no joking matter. It’s...

Sometimes knowing your place literally means knowing where you are. Other times, it means knowing your roles and responsibilities to yourself and to others. It takes time to realize that your...

Sometimes we’re in the right place at the right time to catch glimpses of the holy. While on a clergy retreat in the Arizona desert, I had some time to sit...

I’ve asked “Where are you God?” and “What have you done for me lately?” before. In times of loneliness or loss or impatience, it is easy to doubt God’s presence and...

Do you remember a time when you thought you knew everything? When you constantly felt the need to correct or criticize everything? That you knew what was going on in the...

Years ago I remember playfully altering the words of the hymn by Judson W. Van Deventer titled “I Surrender All.” I wanted to point out the absurdity of partial commitment to...

Jesus said some shocking things about money. I just want to put that out there in case you hadn’t run across some of his radical thoughts on the subject. For years...