Growing up, I heard many sermons that focused on specific behaviors: what I should and shouldn’t do, with a heavy bent toward the “shouldn’t.” Each Sunday the preacher delivered his dire...

Not long ago I drove past the building that was at one time the location of the public library in my hometown. Seeing the old building reminded me of the many...

Like most people, I want a smooth journey from points A to B; but that’s not always what I get. When I’m out hiking—one of my favorite activities—sometimes the path is...

When I enrolled in a graduate degree program to study theology, I went because a friend had suggested that I go and because I didn’t have any other concrete life plans...

During my freshman year in college, one of my teachers made a note in the margin of an essay I had written that said, “You write well.” I don’t think he...

Jesus’ prophetic statement of bringing other sheep into the fold can be viewed as John’s commissioning for the early church—a command to welcome and receive others into the life and ministry...

John reminds us that Jesus is not only the good shepherd because he’s willing to die for his sheep but also because, in contrast to the hired hand, he’s invested in...

What does it mean to believe? Recently I asked that question at a Bible study. At first there was an awkward silence and trepidation among the group, but eventually someone chimed...

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, gives us an account of how Christians are to love one another—a lesson taught by Jesus himself through his sacrifice for humanity. It’s as if...

Psalm 23 is familiar to most churchgoers. Read aloud on some of the most somber of occasions, it reflects the believer’s spiritual journey here on earth as well as one’s future...