Jesus does not threaten, coerce, intimidate, or plead his case – instead he invites – come and see. A fair warning however – there is a problem when we accept this invitation – spending time with Jesus – learning about his priorities – wrestling with his interpretations of scripture – it all has the power … [Read more…]
God’s desire from the beginning of creation, up to this very moment is to have the birth of Jesus in that manger be a birth in us – a movement from where we are now to where God wants to lead us When you’re a kid, time seems to slow down to a glacial pace and … [Read more…]
John the Baptist preached passionately that the One who was to come would judge with fire. But Jesus’ ministry was different – instead of fire, we hear that the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are made clean and the dead are raised to new life. What would it mean for John that instead of … [Read more…]
John the Baptist is all about today – right now. Good or bad, the past doesn’t count. Pedigree or no degree – doesn’t matter. It is a new day – Prepare the way of the Lord – and do it now. As with last week and thinking about Hope – this week, the concept of … [Read more…]
There are many facets to the concept of hope. For example, what happens when our hopes are realized, but in a way that we had not expected – in a way that we never saw coming? This is the essence of Advent – the core of the story of the incarnation – of God coming … [Read more…]
The Job Description has not changed. If anything, the work in front of us has become all the more clear. As people of faith, we want to be a positive force in the world. And we have opportunities all around us to be bold, welcoming and fearless in how we practice and live out our … [Read more…]
“Fearless Investing” – investing resources of time, ability, passion, money, love – investing all of it into someone or a project of some kind – with the full realization that we may never know the impact – we may never know the yield, the result of that investment – but nevertheless, we trust and believe … [Read more…]
How do we grow ‘fearless’ in generosity and in service? We practice. We grow in trust and courage by practicing our faith – by being generous with our time and ability and resources – by stretching and extending ourselves to be about Godly things – as we recognize God’s grace and presence, both in the … [Read more…]
But what does it mean to show Fearless Generosity? Can we trust that in creation God has provided everything that we need to thrive – that the resources are there – the gifts and abilities to overcome challenges are all there – that there is nothing that we can’t overcome because we are made in … [Read more…]
In his wrestling with God, Jacob was changed and transformed – not into somebody different – but instead becoming more and more the person God had created him to be. That encounter refining and defining him in his story. Genesis 32:22-31 The same night [Jacob] got up and took his two wives, his two maids, … [Read more…]