A Crumbling of Faith: Maundy Thursday

Luke 22:31-34 Simply by his boldness and loud mouth, Peter seems to be the de facto leader of the disciples. He plays a prominent role in many of the stories of Jesus’ ministry, and obviously made an impression on the Gospel writers. It is likely that he saw himself as the leader, too. I […]

A Crumbling of Faith: Wednesday

Luke 22:7-13 Jesus’ order to Peter and James would have been hard for me to carry out. “Go into town, approach a stranger, and tell him you’re there to see the room he’s made ready.” I would have been embarrassed to do such a thing, and probably would have tried to convince another disciple […]

A Crumbling of Faith: Tuesday

Luke 21:5-6 As his disciples look in awe at the very impressive Temple structure, Jesus tells them that one day soon, the entire building would be torn down. Not one stone would be left standing on another. This came true in AD 70, when the Romans razed Jerusalem to the ground following a revolt. […]

A Crumbling of Faith: Monday

Luke 19:45-48 Jesus was a disturbance in the normalcy of holy living. One day he came into the city, stirring up the exuberant crowds and drawing attention. The next day, he entered the Temple and ran out the money changers, those who made a living selling what people needed in order to worship at […]

Holy Bread, Wonder Bread: part three

(This is part three of a three part series. Part One can be found here. Part Two can be found here.) John 6:56-69 Between 1906 and the start of World War II there were over 3,000,000 diagnosed cases of Pellagra in the USA, resulting in over 100,000 deaths. Scientists were baffled, until one […]

Holy Bread, Wonder Bread: part two

(This is part two of a three part series. Part One can be found here. Part Three can be found here.) John 6:51-58 Starting around the turn of the twentieth century, there was an epidemic of a disease called pellagra. Mostly forgotten now, it was an epidemic that lasted roughly 40 years. The […]

Holy Bread, Wonder Bread; part one

(This is part one of a three part series. Part two can be found here. Part three can be found here.) John 6:35, 41-51 Growing up, I would estimate we ate cornbread with at least four meals a week. I bet I ate more cornbread than actual bread. On special occasions we would […]

When Church Is Canceled

Today at lunch, my wife asked me a question across the table: “What are you going to do this week?” “I have no idea,” I said. “I need to think about it.” I literally lost sleep over the decision, but last Friday I sent out a message to my congregation: all church events […]

Several Small Steps: How to start fighting climate change in local churches (and at home).

Recently I was privileged to be in a room with several other Christians who care about this earth, God’s Creation, and want to do something about it. One of the members of our team is a young man who just turned 18. It’s easy to dismiss someone so young, but he used a phrase that […]

Love the Place You Love

My childhood tastes like Ma’s chicken slick and fried pork chops and fresh blueberries from the bushes out back. It smells like dry leaves and wet mud and freshly cut grass. My childhood sounds like a metal bat hitting a baseball and cicadas whirr-whirr-whirring and my aunts and uncles harmonizing around an out of tune […]