Proper 8B — Mark 5:21-43 The woman with the hemorrhage didn’t ask permission. She didn’t wait until the appropriate time. She had suffered long enough. So she took her liberation into her own hands. She broke the rules. And became free. It reminds me so much of Bree Newsome, the courageous activist who took matters into her own hands and pulled down the hateful Confederate battle flag. She didn’t have permission. She didn’t wait for the appropriate time. She broke... Read more
Where do unanswered prayers go? Do they get lost on their way to God’s ears like tourists who are forever turning down the wrong streets? Do they evaporate like the hours of a lost afternoon, scattered in the dust of daydreams? Do they burst into nothingness like the fragile space inside a soap bubble when it pops? Or maybe they are more like socks lost in the laundry, between the worn and the washed, the hamper and the drawer. Vanished. Or evaporated. Or something... Read more
Proper 7 — Year B – Mark 4:35-41 “Even the wind and the sea obey him,” the awestruck disciples say. Just minutes before, they had been in the most terrible storm of their lives. Out on the open sea, the storm had threatened to swamp the disciples and their boat. They were terrified. Completely undone and beside themselves at the prospect of capsizing and drowning. They were baling water, wrestling the wind-whipped sails, and hanging on for their lives. And... Read more
Jeremiah 29:11 is not about you. And, to be honest, I really don’t think you want it to be either. That’s because this verse isn’t about what your personal future holds. It’s not about whether you will get into the college of your dreams or the promotion you are hoping for. Not even close. That, of course, hasn’t stopped American Christianity from making it a perennial favorite inspirational verse for all manner of merchandise. In fact, Jeremiah 29:11 has been so warped... Read more
Now is the time to talk about abuse in the church. Now, when you are tired of talking about it. Now, when you’ve moved on to the next social media buzz. Now, when you think you’ve exhausted every possible angle of it. That’s because now is the time where we get to decide whether we will change or whether this was just another distraction, another voyeuristic foray of using tragedy to score political or cultural points. Now is the time... Read more
Don’t thank God that Nebraska just voted to end the death penalty. Thank an atheist instead. And one in particular, State Senator Ernie Chambers, who had introduced a bill to repeal the death penalty 37 times before. Considering he’s served as a senator for 38 years, that means each year Chambers introduced a bill to repeal state executions. And each year he ultimately failed. But he never quit, and this year, he succeeded. In a politically conservative state no less. In... Read more
Fiction is good for the soul. For me, novels and short stories — not theological tomes — have been the landmarks of my spirituality. Fiction has opened me up to more profound spirituality and a greater awareness of the world than anything in the canon of great Christian writings. There’s nothing wrong with theology, of course. But personally, stories speak to my soul more. It’s one of the reasons why I love Jesus’ teachings. He tells us stories rather than offering... Read more
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 That, folks, is the worst verse in all of Holy Scripture. Many Christians, though, love it. I hate it. It grates on my last nerve. And since the rise of social media, my loathing of this verse — even just the citation itself — has only gotten worse. No verse has been more misused and abused than poor Philippians 4:13. A favorite of athletes, achievers and Twitter users,... Read more
The God of Pentecost doesn’t have an official language. This is the shocking revelation of the day of Pentecost, but one often lost amid the day’s more bombastic metaphors of rushing winds, descending doves and intoxicated disciples with tongues touched by fire. But in a country with a history of suppressing other languages in the name of unity and imperialism and in a nation where some still push English-only legislation, this is the message of Pentecost we need to hear. Because... Read more
Going to Bed Angry Last night I slept into an angry pillow. In the morning I woke with it on the floor. Which makes me wonder If our dreams make love While we sleep, and seethe. Or if forgiveness extends From touching toes. Read more
Edges of Faith
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