Martin Buber, an early twentieth-century Jewish theologian, dedicated his life to understanding relationships. He saw two distinct types—experiences (I-It) and encounters (I-Thou). In I-It relationships we treat people as objects. In...

Growing up, I tried to be a good Christian so that I could squeak by in life unscathed by pain and sorrow. The formula went something like this: Be good, follow...

I  have sat by the bedsides of many people as they took their final breath. Some of those deaths were slow and agonizing; others were peaceful transitions. All were sacred moments...

Sometimes it is hard to sing praises. Whether I am checking my Facebook feed or listening to the latest news, my automatic response these days is more likely to be sadness,...

I  have a friend who did the unthinkable. Twenty years ago she and her husband were pastors in a highly successful, growing church when they discerned a call to leave everything...

I  live in a tranquil community with walking trails, bike lanes, and beaver ponds. But when I look out my window I see pain in my neighborhood: One couple is ending...

When the crowd calls Bartimaeus to Jesus, the beggar throws off his cloak and leaps up. He leaves behind what is probably his only possession, his means of protection and livelihood—the...

Some years ago, an unexpected snowstorm left my region of the country without power for almost a week. It was cold, difficult to sleep, impossible to cook. One of the hardest...

The writer of Hebrews speaks of a long line of priests endlessly presiding over sacrifices in carefully prescribed ancient rituals meant first to cleanse the priests who prepared and offered the...

A few weeks ago, many of us gathered to celebrate World Communion Sunday, in large cathedrals and small country congregations, in storefront missions and suburban churches, in ornate Gothic chapels and...