I am a Palestinian Christian. We also say: "Allahu Akbar," which is normally heard from a Muslim, as well as: "Inshaa Allah," "Ma Shaa Allah," and "Alhamdulillah." ...This is simply because Arabic is our language, and the Arabic word for "God" is "Allah," whether you...
It's a dangerous thing, though, to confuse the church with God. The church is not and never has been divine, even in the moments where it has been a channel for healing and hope and change. But while I stand by those words, the truth is that I have never been able to...
God, Keep my anger from becoming meanness. Keep my sorrow from collapsing into self-pity. Keep my heart soft enough to keep breaking. Keep my anger turned towards justice, not cruelty. Remind me that all of this, every bit of it, is for love. Keep me fiercely kind....
God does not eliminate injustice from above by a show of power, but from below, by a show of love. God does not burst on the scene with limitless power, but descends to the narrow confines of our lives.
Christmas reminds us that God didn’t become an emperor controlling an empire. God didn’t become a general commanding legions. God didn’t become a creed, a Bible, or a set of doctrines to be imposed. God became a helpless baby born to a poor family desperately in need...
Think of a single mother who goes to the Church or the Parish, and tells the secretary: I WANT TO BAPTIZE MY SON." And the attendant says: No, you can't, because you're not married.. Let's keep in mind that this mother had the courage to continue with a pregnancy, and...
Any god who is mine but not yours, any god concerned with me but not you, is an idol.
Don't dismiss the heart, even if it's filled with sorrow. God's treasures are buried in broken hearts.
But the thing is, I still choose God. Even when it's hard, even when it doesn't make sense, even when it's taking longer than I ever expected, I still choose Him. All I know is I would rather go through this with Him than without Him....
If the church is not political, it's irrelevant to the world that God so loves. But if the church is partisan, it becomes a tool of the empire.