Christianity is a wine-soaked religion. My teetotalling Quaker ancestors did their level best to rid the world of alcohol. Still, the pages of the Bible are full of references to the drink. Jesus’ ministry began and concluded with celebration. He kept a wedding party going strong into the night when he transformed water into wine. …
When I first became a Quaker, I assumed that the Friends tradition endorsed my existing liberal, secular worldview. I believed that all human beings were basically good. All of us want to do the right thing, after all. We just need resources, love, and support to grow in a healthy direction. The more I learned about the theological …
Read more “If Humans Are Basically Good, How Did We End Up with Trump?”
Do you remember? Back then the Spirit was present with us. We felt sure that God was guiding us somewhere new, faithful, full of life. We held gatherings at churches, colleges, seminaries. We met in homes and on the street. We felt sure that revival was imminent. Christ was doing a new thing in our time …
Read more “Shake Off the Deadness and Embrace the Challenge”
When I became a Christian, following Jesus seemed like the most revolutionary thing I could do. The teachings of Jesus are radical. The way the early church lived out the gospel inspires me to go deeper, give more of myself, and nurture a grander vision for what human community could be like. The more I read …
I recently read a blog post by a US Army chaplain, who talks about his struggle with Jesus’ call to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. In a military context, he regularly finds himself asked some version of the question: “If ISIS killed your child, would you pray for them?” His …
This is a sermon that I preached this Sunday (8/14/16), at the Washington City Church of the Brethren. The scripture readings for this sermon were: Hebrews 11:29-12:2 and Luke 12:49-56 You can listen to the audio, or keeping scrolling to read my manuscript. (FYI, the spoken sermon deviates a fair amount from the written text.) Sermon Audio …
Read more “There is a Spirit which I Feel: The Cloud of Witnesses”
What are you doing the first weekend in October? As a reader of this blog, I want to extend you a personal invitation to join me and the Friends of Jesus Fellowship for our Fall Gathering in Silver Spring, Maryland. Experience food, fun, fellowship, and Spirit-led worship with a group of like-hearted followers of Jesus. This October, we’ll …
Read more “Register Now for Friends of Jesus Fall Gathering: Oct 7-10, 2016”