|Which Side Are You On?|“You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones.” (Matthew 23:27)|To follow Jesus, we leave old ways behind. As all things are made ...

Together for the Long Run|Jesus cried out … I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. (John 7:28)|Today's reading lets the wicked speak for themselves. Their candor is striking: they ...

|Lessons from Nature|"From the heavens ... the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful." (Isaiah 55:10)|After a dry spell, the rains fall like a ...

To Live as One ||Was Kafka right? Nameless authority stops a man in the street, a number is assigned, the man vanishes into a legal labyrinth, the family hears nothing, no charges are made, no trial takes place. Years pass. ...

Hold On|At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,|yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:11)|There been times when I thought I couldn't last for long. |But now I think ...

|Who is My Neighbor?|"He lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him."  (Luke 10: 34)|The scholar was clever.  He posed questions that might embellish his self-regard.  Jesus told a story so that ...

Salvation Stories||"You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?" (Luke 12: 20)|The man had amassed more grain than he could store. So he tore down the ...

The Power of the Particular|"Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will." (Psalm 40: 8-9)|Big changes can begin with an encounter. The newcomer at the A.A. meeting realizes: if this speaker quit drinking, so could I. Listening ...

Living in Expectation||Thankfully, most slavery is illegal. Abolishing slavery is one of the clearest measures of progress in history. Yet Paul calls us slaves. His audience included citizens, women, foreigners, as well ...

Easter Stories||After he died, the loneliness was dreadful. |All the familiar places felt empty. |Least lonely was his tomb.| So the women slipped past the guard to sit on the rocks, gazing sadly at his body.|It was a ...