Field notes on life and mission with God in post-Christendom
"They found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind, and they were afraid." These words, from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 8, have always been intriguing to me. Jesus performs a wonderful … [Continue reading] about We Fear the Unfamiliar
"My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice." This is Jesus' response to those who tell him his family is outside wanting to have a chat with him. Normally I think of this little vignette in terms of Jesus' … [Continue reading] about Being Jesus’ Brother
"You must not worship the Lord your God in their way." This little phrase is a warning from God to his people repeated several times in Deuteronomy 12 as they are about to take possession of the promised land. I was struck that the warning … [Continue reading] about Don’t Worship in Their Way
"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it" (Matt 11:12). What does it mean that the kingdom of heaven is subjected to violence and that … [Continue reading] about The kingdom of heaven suffers violence?
Every day during my morning prayer liturgy I pray a section of Psalm 103, which is an exhortation to the soul to "Praise the Lord!" The psalmist then proceeds to recount "all his benefits..." which includes this line: "...who satisfies your … [Continue reading] about Who satisfies your desires?