I acknowledged the grace of God awakening me to a call to ministry at an early age. My pastor at the time served an essential role in my discerning process. He...

There is nothing like sitting and listening to the seasoned (senior) persons in my community. They seem to have stories for every situation. They have stories that will make you laugh...

One of my most memorable experiences as a youth was running on my junior high track and field team. I never believed that I would love running. I had never considered...

This parable is about persisting in prayer, yet its primary content reveals a longing for justice. The story calls us less to persistence as to a longing for justice, which is...

How do you pray? What do you pray for? In what way? If I’m honest, my prayers are mostly a presentation to God of the list of things I want God...

The Bible can be funny. Take the judge in today’s parable. He “neither feared God nor had respect for people.” That is not surprising for a politician. The judge’s self-reflection surprises...

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Its 176 verses say one thing over and over: the law is great. It is an acrostic poem, in which each letter...

As a member of Generation X, I often warn my baby boom generation colleagues against using sentimental language around “family” to describe the church. The baby boomers were the first to...

The Bible rarely asserts its authority self-referentially. When it does, we should pay attention. Second Timothy promises that “all scripture is inspired by God.” The scripture Timothy refers to—the only scripture...

My teenager recently lost a tooth. He’s long past the age where he believes a tooth fairy will appear with money in exchange for his dental offerings, but he still put...