It was dusk as I stood mesmerized at the kitchen window earlier this month. What was that black shadow moving against the horizon in constantly shifting shapes? It has to be a large flock of birds, I thought, though as a born-and-raised Oregonian I had never seen this phenomenon before. The fluttering dark specks looked like a school of fish...
Have you struggled against spiritual sleepiness, aware of an unexplained urgency? As I’ve talked with people, urgency feels like an underlying theme. It makes me wonder if the wind of the Spirit is blowing through the church saying, “Wake up! Get yourself ready for what is to come!” WARNING Luke 21:34-36 says about the last days, “Be careful, or your...
It seems that every year at Christmas my mother laments, “What can I give you? You have everything.” She loves to give and feels sad that I have no pressing material needs. In her mind, how can her gift delight, surprise, and overwhelm me with joy if there is little need? I try to reassure her how much her gifts...
What does your name mean? Do you like your name? On the simplest level, names are labels to distinguish one person from another. But names mean so much more than that; they also connect to identity. Essence In Judaism, your given name is considered prophetic to some extent, defining your essence; it’s seen as the key to your soul. Thus,...
Everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29 In this passage, Jesus had just challenged the rich young ruler to sell everything and “come and follow me.” The young man had lived a righteous life....
On my way to work recently, I noticed that several new tents had sprouted on the sidewalk overnight. This got me thinking about an inner reality I rarely consider. That spiritually speaking, I am a transient as well. The apostles Peter and Paul both referred to their bodies as earthly “tents.” It’s easy to relate to this metaphor. “For here...
With the arrival of spring, I entered my closet one morning anticipating luxurious freedom for my toes. I pulled out my favorite sandals, then gasped and stared in disbelief. Mildew! How could this be? Nothing like this had ever happened before. Other shoes were infected. A couple of leather coats showed the white film as well. So I did what...
Have you ever asked, “Why is life so hard?” Why a constant sense of pressure, or why the unrelenting stone-hard circumstances? Of course there are no easy answers to explain suffering, but something that has shafted light on the struggle, is the metaphor of the seed. We have a lot in common with seeds. The Struggle Once planted in the...
As I gazed at the hummingbird cradled in my hand, the traumatized bird stared apprehensively back at me. She seemed to be asking, “What are you going to do with me?” Just moments before, my mother had called me outside. It was night but in the porch light we saw the little bird flapping helplessly on the ground. I noticed...
When I visited Bethlehem, we toured the Church of the Nativity which stands on the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Originally commissioned by Constantine and his mother in 327, it is the oldest major church in the Holy Land. Beneath the main altar of the church is a cave with a silver star on the floor. The inscription around it reads, “Here...
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