”I just hugged the man who murdered my son.” — Mary Johnson In 1993, Mary Johnson’s 16-year-old son, Larami, was shot and killed by Oshea Israel during a robbery. The tragedy devastated Mary and left her grappling with immense grief and anger. Years later, after Oshea had served time in prison, Mary made the courageous… Continue reading Playing God Instead of Imitating God
Category: Living Our Faith
What Is the Revised Common Lectionary?
I read the Bible daily on my phone. I don’t say that to brag about my piety, I say that to give you an opportunity to stand back and marvel at the wonders of our modern world. We can carry the Bible around inside of a super computer in our hip pockets. The Bible has… Continue reading What Is the Revised Common Lectionary?
Important Election Reminder: God’s Got This
Who needs this reminder? Probably everybody. Almost everyone I know is walking around nervous, fearful, wringing their hands, checking the polls every five minutes, and just generally concerned about the upcoming election. My personal opinion is that one side of the country actually represents an existential threat to democracy. If you read my blog, it… Continue reading Important Election Reminder: God’s Got This
Connecting the Dots
Proverbs 19:21 The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.” Sometimes I look at the options in my life and they seem like a dot-to-dot puzzle with no numbers to guide me. Just an endless sea of dots, a swarm of options and no… Continue reading Connecting the Dots
Are We David or Goliath?
The story of David and Goliath is one of the most popular stories in the Bible. I can remember being very heartened by it as a young child. I went to a religious school for most of my pre-college experiences. Even though I am 6’ 2” today, I was a year or more younger than… Continue reading Are We David or Goliath?
What is Humility?
A question I’ve received a few times is about how I chose the name of this blog. The basic answer is that humility is one of my top personal values. Almost 20 years ago I sat in a Tokyo Joe’s eating lunch while waiting for my son to get out of a summer program and… Continue reading What is Humility?
The Pastor is Just Another Member
Our church is in the middle of a pastoral call, and I spent a decent part of this year as a member of our transition team. In that role I got to survey members and aggregate their hopes and fears for the future. I also spoke with people individually about what they wanted to see… Continue reading The Pastor is Just Another Member
A Zen Heart on a Christian Path
Between the ages of say 21 and 30 or so, if you had asked me what religion I was I probably would’ve said Buddhist. I didn’t belong to a sangha or sit with a sensei. I was more attracted to it philosophically. After leaving Christianity (turns out I never really left, what I left was… Continue reading A Zen Heart on a Christian Path
On A Recent Reminder of Bonhoeffer’s Costly Grace
Because I draft my blogs about a month before I publish—an author’s convention aimed somewhat unsuccessfully at preventing embarrassment and regret from hastily penned screeds—I am writing this mere days after a failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that I am very progressive. It won’t… Continue reading On A Recent Reminder of Bonhoeffer’s Costly Grace
Only One Who Has Failed Can Find a New Way to Win
2 Corinthians 12:9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. A good while ago a good friend who is also a pastor texted me… Continue reading Only One Who Has Failed Can Find a New Way to Win