A few years ago I went to a restaurant that had earned a wonderful reputation. Once seated, I learned that I had no decisions to make because the restaurant served one...

I need goals and deadlines. Whether it’s a work project, exercise habits, or writing these devotions, I do my best when I have a goal that stretches me and a plan...

The opening lines of this reading speak clearly to my heart. Jesus reads these verses aloud in the synagogue after his wilderness temptations; they set the tone for his ministry. They’ve...

My five-year-old godson dreams of things beyond any waking experiences: dragons and castles, flying trains and talking trucks, foreign lands and mighty wizards. When he wakes up, he’s always on the...

Know thyself.” In my world, this is an oft-repeated maxim. Ancient wisdom and modern psychology have taught us that self-awareness is essential for any leader, any church, or any relationship to...

The psalmist voices a joyful, hopeful poetic account of the community’s life in God. But it’s written in a curious structure. It’s hard to tell what is past, what is present,...

Many Advent calendars refer to the third Sunday as Gaudete Sunday—the Sunday of joy. In many churches, congregants will light a candle and read words that remind us to lean into...

Mike hated the commercialism of Christmas. When forced to retire early, he checked out altogether. “Get me nothing,” he grouched, “until people understand what Christmas is all about.” That year, his...

Can you imagine living in the segregated South of the 1950s where African Americans were banned from public facilities; where black schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods were under resourced; where dissent was...

Though eighty years old, Mawanda held vigil each Friday at noon in front of the local police station. For years, she had endured Zimbabwe’s brutal dictatorship without protest as farmlands withered,...