We end our journey where it began, in Bethany with Mary’s choice of the better part and Martha’s choice of the busy part. Now we know what Mary has chosen: the...

Now we come to the final component of the better part: the mystery revealed. What is the mystery? The words of the Lord have come and gone, but now the Word...

As I prepare these words for our journey in search of the better part, the images visible on screens and newspaper pages report interracial violence in the Midwestern United States and...

Now we know that the better part involves hearing the words of the Lord. Even before Amos identified that component of the better part, David relied on its reality and revealed...

In this passage—which itself seems like the worse part, not the better—the people finally get what they want. God promises that they who have impatiently waited for worship and sabbath observance...

Why does the first leg of our journey in search of “the better part” take us back to the earliest minor prophet of Israel? Most people today recognize Amos’s words because...

The better part.” What is it? Mary chooses stillness while Martha chooses busyness. Mary chooses to listen to Jesus’ words while Martha chooses to tell him what she requires to provide...

One of the great memories of my childhood is sitting on the front porch of my grandparents’ house. My grandmother’s stories of her life and encounters with her neighbors amazed me....

A recent study notes that those in American culture work more than ever, taking no vacations. Many workers do not even receive paid sick leave. We work very hard, trying to...

In my church office I have a large whiteboard where I record calendar items, scripture passages, facility needs, and anything else that requires my attention. Often I tell those who enter...