Bowing Toward God
Acts 2.1-13 (CEB): When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with […]
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Learning to Rise
Luke 24.50-53: He led them out as far as Bethany, where he lifted his hands and blessed them. As he blessed them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem overwhelmed with joy. And they were continuously in the temple praising God. Acts 1.9-11: After Jesus said […]
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Selective Memory
One day driving to church, I saw a moving truck in front of me. It had a quote on the back door that said, “Don’t forget where you came from,” and it attributed the saying to Galatians 5.1. Not knowing off the top of my head what Galatians 5.1 was about, I snapped a photo […]
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Be Not Afraid
Joshua 1.9 (CEB): I’ve commanded you to be brave and strong, haven’t I? Don’t be alarmed or terrified, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” John 14.27: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.” […]
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The Lovesong of Humanity
Throughout my life, I have been blessed with jobs that required a lot of travel. Soon after I graduated from the University of Utah, I was a b-list touring musician regularly working with “classics” groups like the Drifters/Coasters/Platters (always on the same bill), the Classics IV, the Marvelettes, and even Herman’s Hermits, once, in Hong […]
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The Lotus Blossom Revisited
Bhagavad Gita 5.10:Those who dedicate their actions to God, abandoning all attachment, remain untouched by sin, just as a lotus leaf is untouched by water. Psalm 131 (LEB)My heart is not haughty nor my eyes arrogant,and I do not concern myselfwith things too great and difficult for me.Rather, I have soothed and quieted my soul,like a weaned […]
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Living Our Religion
I’ve been reading about the remarkable history of Islam in the book, Islam, by Karen Armstrong. It’s a terrific, concise narrative about the formation of a community based not on borders but beliefs. It is a story strikingly similar to that of early Judaism, with its revelation of divine law as a blueprint for the way […]
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Entering the Kingdom of Heaven
Isaiah 43.18-19 (CEB)Don’t remember the prior things; don’t ponder ancient history. Look! I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it? I’m making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness. Psalm 118.19-20Open the gates of righteousness for me so I can come in and give thanks to the Lord!This is the Lord’s […]
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By the pricking of my thumbs, something wonderful this way comes
Psalm 126 (CEB)When the Lord changed Zion’s circumstances for the better, it was like we had been dreaming. Our mouths were suddenly filled with laughter; our tongues were filled with joyful shouts. It was even said, at that time, among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them!” Yes, the Lord has done great things for us, and […]
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How to Become Jesus
Like Jesus, we began our Lenten journey in the desert confronting ha-satan: the ideas, people, habits, influences, and uncharitable actions (to both others and ourselves) that falsely convince us we are not God’s beloved children. Satan’s desert challenges force us to reconnect to God, if only in fleeting visions that leave our hairs on edge. The solitude […]
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