Ordinary Time
Their conversation was drowned out by the wind and the sound of the sea and the call of seagulls overhead. If I close my eyes right now, I can take myself right back there. And I know, without being there, that the wind is still blowing, the sea is still churning, and the gulls are still calling out to one another. I know it, even though I cannot see it. Thanks be to God.
Read PostPraising God Playfully
I often write about how we can worship God through our daily work. This dimension of worship has been ignored in many of our Christian communities and deserves plenty of attention. But, today I’m impressed by the possibility of play that praises God. Surely we glorify God when we use our abilities to do good work. But we were also made to play, to run and jump, to dance, and to laugh. We too can glorify God when we play, delighting in his creation, offering ourselves to him in all that we do, in work and in rest, in prayer and in play.
Read PostImitate Your Heavenly Father
Children imitate their parents, both intentionally and unintentionally. They learn how to act and speak by watching their parents and doing what they see and hear. This should also be true in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. In Ephesians 5:1 we read, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children.” This imperative could be translated more literally, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children.”
Read Post
Be Like God . . . But Not Always
According to Ephesians 5:1, we are to “Follow God’s example.” The Greek underlying this imperative reads more literally, “Be imitators of God.” Now that’s a tall order . . . and a wonderful one . . . and a curious one. We wonder what it really means for us to imitate God.
Read Post
Be a Mime of God
Of course there is a major difference between today’s mimes and being mimes of God. When a mimes act as if a box is closing in around them, we understand that there isn’t a real box present. The mime is helping us to see what’s not actually there. In the case of miming God, however, the opposite is true. Through our godlike actions, we help others to see the God who is there. We make real for people that which they might not comprehend through words alone.
Read PostA Vision of a Forgiven and Forgiving Community
Forgiveness is hard to come by these days, to say the least. When people in the public eye make mistakes, they are instantly savaged on social media and in the press. Increasingly, this kind of viral destruction happens also for those whose private errors catch the attention of Google, Facebook, or Twitter. On these platforms you almost never hear people offer forgiveness to others or seek forgiveness for their misdoings.
Read Post
What’s Your Function? Governance
When I look at the scriptures I resonate with the narratives of Esther, the intercessor and advocate who saved her people from extinction; Joseph, the brilliant economic strategist that saved a world in famine; and Daniel, the advisor to numerous kings, who functioned as a vice president in Babylon. These narratives are an inspiration to me and serve as broad templates as I navigate through the realm of governance.
Read Post
Leadership Prayers: Psalm 139
The Hubble Telescope is an extraordinary invention. With it, we can see from unimaginable distances some of the farthest reaches of the universe; and simultaneously we can look back in time to see stars and galaxies as they were thousands and even millions of years ago. Perhaps the Hubble serves as a useful analogy for God’s ability to see from far away what is going on in our lives, and to look back through our personal history even to our formation in the womb. But, unlike the Hubble, which passively gathers information from a long time ago and from galaxies far away, Psalm 139 reminds us that God knows each of us personally. Extraordinarily, God sees, not from a vast distance, but up close and in person.
Read Post
God’s Blessing and Human Work
So, as we celebrate God’s provision of wheat and other natural blessings, we also remember and celebrate God’s choice to provide through our work. What we do matters, not only for ourselves, but also for others who are beneficiaries of our efforts.
Read Post
Why Should You Forgive? Part 2
The more we take in how God has forgiven us in Christ, the more we will be encouraged to forgive others. The more we let the model of God’s forgiveness in Christ guide us, the more we will want to forgive graciously, mercifully, and lovingly. The more we experience the freedom of God’s forgiveness, the more we will be free to forgive others.
Read Post
Why Should You Forgive? Part 1
Have you ever wondered why you should forgive someone who wronged you? I expect you have. I know I have. There have been times in my life when someone has deeply hurt me. I didn’t want to forgive and I wondered why I should. Holding onto unforgiveness can feel so safe, even so justifiable. Forgiveness seems to require opening myself up to being hurt again, which is the last thing I want to do. So, why should you forgive someone how wronged you?
Read Post
Be Compassionate and Tenderhearted
Are you compassionate? Are you tenderhearted? Or are you too absorbed in your own life to feel what others are feeling? Are you too focused on the task at hand to pay attention to the people doing the task? In many cases, our lack of compassion for others reflects, not so much our hard-heartedness as our sheer busyness.
Read Post
You’ve Got to Try a Little Kindness
Ephesians 4:32 reads, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Be kind . . . or, perhaps, try a little kindness.In fact, sometimes just a little kindness goes a long way.
Read Post
A Suffering Shepherd
The picture I get of Jesus as I read Psalm 23 (and the Gospels) is one of a brave shepherd who leads a suffering people through dark valleys, securing people with love so they can do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Yahweh (Micah 6:8). I hope this picture of the Suffering Shepherd both comforts you amidst challenges and confronts you to be a better leader.
Read PostA Kingly Shepherd
When you do usually hear Psalm 23? Most often you will hear it recited as part of a funeral, emphasizing God’s presence and ongoing care of the one who has died. You would be hard pressed to find Psalm 23 in a wedding! But it’s nevertheless unfortunate that Psalm 23 gets relegated primarily to funerals because it really is a Psalm for everyday life. We need Yahweh not only as we transition from this earth, we need him as a Kingly Shepherd every day.
Read Post