My youth pastor from years ago told me recently that as a student, I always asked “why.” I had lots of questions. It’s been said that Gentile parents tell their children...

Who was in charge when you were a child and your parent or parents were not available? To whom were you subject? My wife and I left our children with their...

Learning to water ski requires counterintuitive behavior. Once you get the gear on and you are waiting in the water, some well-meaning “expert skier” will share the following secret, “Let the...

The Psalms speak with honesty, emotion, and passion. Who prays a dangerous prayer like this? “Prove me, O Lord and try me; test my heart and mind.” It sounds like the...

What is the nature of relationship between God and human beings? Are we in a symbiotic relationship that rewards behavior? Job is a person of integrity—at least before his life falls...

My dad accompanied me to get my first-ever car loan at his bank. I was a college student with a part-time job and little money. The interview went like this: “Are...

Jesus offers strong words in today’s passage. He cautions the listener to attend to behavior and speech. We could quail in the face of these challenges and assume that going to...

The beloved disciple does not start out being gripped by the truth of love conquering death. John, like the rest of us, starts out as a new convert. As a novice...

"Are any among you suffering?” Suffering manifests in many different ways: illness, depression, loss of work or home, strain in relationships, political and social oppression, the terrible despair that can gnaw...

This past spring my husband and I decided to put a sign in our front yard. It is a sign of welcome to our neighbors, written in English, Spanish, and Arabic....