Years earlier I had read some writings of Jurgen Moltmann, a German theologian who argued that God "experiences" our sufferings and grieves with us. Our soul is so connected with God, he said, that it's impossible for the Divine Being not to share our aguish. Now...
The desperate drive to own and control in order to fill our psychic holes, relieve anxiety, fix difficulties, and cauterize old wounds takes root at an early age, and is doomed. It is like going to the hardware store for bread. It doesn't sell bread.
It has been said, "time heals all wounds." I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind (protecting its sanity), covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.
All over this magnificent world, God calls us to extend his kingdom of shalom-peace and wholeness—of justice, of goodness, of compassion, of caring, of sharing, of laughter, of joy, of reconciliation. God is transfiguring the world right this very moment through us...
We will go before God to be judged, and God will ask us, “Where are your wounds?” and we will say, “We have no wounds” and God will ask, “Was there nothing worth fighting for?”
To announce…that the Liberator is sitting among the poorand that the wounds are signs of hopeand that today is the day of liberation,is a step very few can take. But this is exactlythe announcement of the wounded healer:”The master is coming—not tomorrow, but...
As you announce peace with your mouth, make sure that greater peace is in your hearts… For we have been called to heal wounds, to bind up the broken, and to call home any who have lost their way.
Ministry can indeed be a witness to the living truth that the wound, which causes us to suffer now, will be revealed to us later as the place where God intimated his new creation. ———————————————Gender-neutral version: Ministry can indeed be a witness to the living...
Worship is both the heart and heartache of contemporary religious life. In many churches, worship is an exciting, meaningful and inspirational moment. In many churches of today, however, worship is a battleground for its membership, an opportunity for fracturing and...
To believe in Christ’s rising and death’s dying is also to live with the power and the challenge to rise up now from all our dark graves of suffering love. If sympathy for the world’s wounds is not enlarged by our anguish, if love for those around us is not expanded,...