Jason Micheli will be posting reflections on Fleming Rutledge’s new book, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ, through Lent. Jason is a United Methodist pastor in DC who blogs at www.tamedcynic.org Preaching on Psalm 51 this Ash Wednesday, I noticed something as I followed along with the lector from the pew bible open on my lap. David’s indulgent confession of sin in Psalm 51 ends with this startling moment of recognition: ‘…for you [God] have no delight in... Read more

Christopher Ingraham: They use what they call “the savanna theory of happiness” to explain two main findings from an analysis of a large national survey (15,000 respondents) of adults aged 18 to 28. First, they find that people who live in more densely populated areas tend to report less satisfaction with their life overall. “The higher the population density of the immediate environment, the less happy” the survey respondents said they were. Second, they find that the more social interactions with close friends a person has,... Read more

You can connect with Nika @NikaMaples and You can sign up for monthly encouragement from her at www.nikamaples.com. As I drove six hours home from a speaking engagement in west Texas, I heard a voice in my heart: “Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you.” It is from James 4:8, a verse I had read many times. In that moment, the written Word of God became the whispered Word of God. I knew He was calling... Read more

John Mark Comer, from his new and important book, Garden City, a book that probes us to think about our work — what we do, who we are — in light of God’s designs for the world and for us — a really helpful book. Pitched at the right level for the right audience. I quote from John Mark Comer: Image There’s a nasty rumor floating around the church right now, and it sounds something like this: “It’s who you are that... Read more

Perry Stein: Mikias Gebremeskel stood in a public spot in Ethiopia’s capital city handing out anti-government fliers to passersby. Two police officers approached the teenager, arrested him, and then, while he sat in prison for five days, beat him with their batons. His uncle arranged to have Gebremeskel released, and in July 2014, he fled to the United States seeking political asylum. He moved to the nation’s capital, where his cousins lived, and enrolled as a junior at Roosevelt Senior... Read more

USA Today: BRUSSELS — Explosions at the airport and a downtown metro stop rocked the city Tuesday, killing at least 26 people, wounding dozens and shutting down all public transportation. Terror alerts rose across Europe and around the world. Belgium’s federal prosecutor confirmed the blasts at the airport were caused by a suicide attack. The explosion at the metro station was near buildings that house European Union institutions in central Brussels. “We were fearing terrorist attacks and that has now happened,” Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said. Maggie... Read more

There are only two options. Either (1) Jesus thought he was the Jewish Messiah and said so when he referred to the kingdom and connected himself to the Son of Man or (2) someone else thought he was the Jewish Messiah and connected his message to the kingdom and the Son of Man. What is not up for question is whether kingdom and Son of Man carried messianic implications. The question is only if Jesus made the connection. But, first,... Read more

By Maureen Farrell Garcia. She is the author of various articles including”Groomed for Abuse” and “Sex Offenders in Our Midst.” When she’s not researching sexual abuse dynamics, she reads, writes, and teaches writing at Nyack College in NYC. She would love for you to connect with her on Twitter: @mfarrellgarcia Ruth A. Tucker’s new book, Black and White Bible, Black and Blue Wife is stirring up some discussion. While I am grieved to learn that our experiences have significant parallels, at... Read more