When one is driven to climb the ecclesiastical ladder it is easy to embrace a doctrinal position that removes half the competition — using the same Jesus-free method of selective extractions of scripture that justified slavery and other church-endorsed evils. Many...
03197 – Be Kind!
High School Students: Be kind in high school. Be kind. One day you will get to look at your current classmates at a class reunion. You will get to do business with them in your hometown or elsewhere. You will get to teach your former classmates’ children, or doctor...
01618 – God’s Extravagant Grace
There we'll all be, gathered around the banquet table, not just the perfect people but also the other 99.9 percent of humanity. The prodigal son and his hard-partying buddies, the joyful father; the oldest son, and his responsible friends too, they're all there along...
01352 – Competition vs. Privilege
Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy.
00888 – We Belong in Song
We should sing together…because singing brings us together. When you sing with other people, you are saying in effect, “I will not be a soloist; I will not be your competitor; I will blend my voice with yours.” That is, in a very simple and important way, saying that...
00875 – Olympic Music Brings Artistic Unity
Imagine the Olympic Games without music. Bleak. Recall moments of the Olympic Games with music—competition is transcended, common humanity and achievements are celebrated. I captured the following moment while watching 2004 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, televised from...
00562 – Baby Jesus: More Potential than We can Imagine
Politicians compete for the highest offices. Business tycoons scramble for a bigger and bigger piece of the pie. Armies march and scientists study and philosophers philosophize and preachers preach and laborers sweat. But in that silent baby, lying in that humble...