Flying from Johannesburg to Atlanta takes sixteen hours and forty minutes on a 296-passenger plane. Two of us occupied the window and aisle seats in our row and waited for the...

Time and again Jesus tells his disciples he is not the Messiah they expected. And here, again, Jesus challenges tradition and religious teachings in surprising and difficult ways. Chapter 10 is...

Psalm 22:1 is most often heard on Good Friday, for these are Jesus’ last recorded words before he “breathes his last” (Mark 15:33-37). So it can seem unseasonal to read these...

When I served as a youth minister, our group went spelunking in southern Indiana. There is an extensive underground system there, so we experienced almost everything caving offers: squeezing through narrow...

Job 23 is midway through the chapters where Job’s friends offer many (unhelpful) ways for Job to understand and end his suffering. Job’s friends toss out ideas and solutions but don’t...

I love the priority Jesus places on welcoming children. In moments when I’m aware of my own failings—aware of things I’ve done and left undone that have caused harm—I find blessing...

I find it impossible to read this passage without thinking about what it means for people I know. As I read Jesus’ response to a question about divorce, I think of...

A “pioneer” of salvation, Christ shows us what the path is going to be like if we want to practice Christ-like love. There’s going to be suffering. Part of this is...

The beginning of the book of Hebrews offers us a beautiful hymn of praise to God. It reminds us of the gift of salvation we have received from our God. The...

We are invited to praise God “in the great congregation.” Faith is meant to be lived out together in community; we stand on the shoulders of generations who’ve gone before us,...