Ever carry a cup filled to the brim? Some of it always ends up on your shoes. Jesus and Lao Tzu agree that empty is better than full. Through the examples of an empty cup and a dull knife, Lao Tzu shows the pathway to heaven. Jesus agrees—empty and dull things are better than full and sharp. In verse eight of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu says: Tao Te Ching, Verse 9. McDonald Translation: It is easier... Read more
I’ll always regret baptizing 10% of our kids in Vacation Bible School that year. Yes, that’s right—keep reading to find out why. That sizzling summer stands out to me in sharp relief. It represents the height of this evangelical (at the time) pastor’s missionary fervor. It was my second summer at the church. I’d been there long enough to visit most of the families, endear myself to the children, and begin to have influence in their lives. Ours was a... Read more
In Outlander Season Eight (now in production) we will meet Quaker characters, named after Christian virtues. What would your Quaker name be? If you’re an Outlander fan like me, you might be sad to learn that Season eight will be the final chapter of this great TV series. Set for release in late 2024 or 2025, the final season will be based on Diana Gabaldon’s latest novel in the Outlander series, Go Tell the Bees That I am Gone. Though... Read more
In the US, Memorial Day is a time to honor the past, but not get stuck in it. It’s a time to grieve, reconcile, and move toward the future. This Monday is Memorial Day in the US. It’s a day with a long history of honoring the nation’s heroic dead. The holiday began as Decoration Day at the end of May 1868. In the wake of the Civil War, the United States declared a day for decorating the graves of... Read more
Are you involved in sports, business, or other forms of competition? Jesus and Lao Tzu show how you can win by non-competition. The famous martial artist Bruce Lee, actor onscreen and instructor offscreen, knew something about winning. He did so with ease, but not by forcing his way like an iron weapon. Instead, he encouraged people to become like water. “Empty your mind,” he said. “Be formless, shapeless, like water. You put water into a cup; it becomes the cup.... Read more
We like to think that God doesn’t change. Malachi has God saying, “I the Lord do not change.” This sounds good—until God changes God’s Mind. It’s comforting to believe that God is the same, yesterday today, and forever. When the world feels unstable, it helps to believe in the One Supreme Being who’s in charge of it all. We love to sing hymns about God’s unchangeable nature because we enjoy the sense of permanence and stability. But what happens when... Read more
Ever had a spiritual experience that upon reflection, you wondered if it was all in your head? Neurotheology attempts to answer this. In a May 14, 2024 edition of NPR’s On Point, journalist Meghna Chakrabarti interviews Dr. Andrew Newberg. As Director of Research at Marcus Institute of Integrative Health and a professor at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital, Newberg studies human brain activity during spiritual encounters. In the interview, Newberg discusses brainwave patterns collected from people across the religious spectrum,... Read more
What does Jesus mean when he talks about eternal life? The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu provides a clue. Both claim that we are immortals. For Lao Tzu, when a person lets go and becomes completely fulfilled, they come into alignment with the infinite, eternal Tao. Their life takes on an unlimited quality, not a limitless quantity. This kind of never-ending life doesn’t fall prey to a false assumption that human beings can escape death. Lao Tzu’s immortality means more than... Read more
Religion is meant to support you like the sea floating a boat. But sometimes religion gets stormy. Is there a way to survive the storm? Jesus is a disrupter. He overturns the tables of ideology, refuses to participate in empire, and dismantles the dominant worldview. By contrast, religion as usual offers easy answers, a status quo, and a patriotic piety that makes people easy to control. No wonder so many people take the wide and easy path of religion, instead... Read more
What if Jesus and Lao Tzu celebrated Mother’s Day? They would agree that universal and cosmic wisdom is best represented by motherly love. Jesus, the embodiment of wisdom and incarnation of the Tao, said, “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.” He utilized mother imagery to depict God’s gathering and protecting love. Bending traditional gender roles, the apostle Paul echoed Jesus’s feminine love, saying, “We were gentle among... Read more
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