In the end, forgiveness is a form of divine healing. As we embrace divine forgiveness in our lives, our memories and our actions—our lives—are transformed and made whole. To forgive is not only to affirm our value as God’s beloved children but also to recognize that...
00453 – Forgive because God Forgave You
Extend your forgiveness. If you have been forgiven by God, the there is room for you to forgive another human being. If God has forgiven you, then there is a wellspring of mercy from which you can draw and give to someone else. No one has offended you more than you...
00447 – Which of Our Gods Shall Have Our Children?
So, the question is not, “Will we sacrifice our children?” The question is, “To which god, upon which altar will we sacrifice our children?” We are all busy sacrificing our children to some god, laying their lives upon some altar. So the question is not if we shall be...
00446 – Teens in Awe of the Creator?
Stand in awe of the Creator? Again, we find that the practical nature of millions of teenagers renders them more likely to stand in awe of the natural talents of Michael Jordan, the physical strength and grace of Shaquille O’Neal, the dexterity of Eddie Van Halen, and...
00443 – Faith Helps Us Resist Violence
Faith becomes the one wholly inflexible ground for resistance to violence, precisely because it teaches us how to face death—not in excited expectation of reward, but in the sober letting-go of our fantasies in the sure hope that a faithful God holds us firmly in life...
00442 – God is Sure of Us
All the persons of faith I know are sinners, doubters, uneven performers. We are secure not because we are sure of ourselves but because we trust that God is sure of us.
00441 – Put Your Hand in God’s Hand
I said to the man who stood at the gate of years, “Give me light, that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And the man replied, “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than the known way.”...
00439 – Faith and Darkness
Even so, however strongly we believe that our relationship with God begins here and now, life in its fullness—life described as “eternal” because it only rings true if it is somehow analogous to the depth and quality of our best, seemingly timeless, earthly...
00435 – God Laughs & Weeps with Us
The story of Jesus enables me to envision God as One who genuinely cares for each and all of us. In Jesus, God confronts the Darkness face to face, Incarnate, for our sake. Jesus is Light to the gentle face of God. The story of Jesus says that God laughs with us in...
00432 – Faith Demands Response
Each of us is called to prophetic agony—to speak the Word, to do justice and righteousness. We are most truly ourselves when we live within God’s insecurity, acknowledging Yahweh’s sovereignty over creation, taking full responsibility as contingent creatures who yet...