It’s been a mighty warm winter so far, but that’s over now. Here in Washington, DC, snow hit the ground last night. It was just a dusting, maybe an inch, but the weather forecasters are telling us more is coming. There could be feet of snow by Saturday – enough to shut down the whole city. This week’s …
The Christian tradition can seem a bit confusing when it comes to the subject of fear. Is fear a legitimate, God-given emotion, or is it something to be overcome by the power of love? There is a strong biblical case to be made for both perspectives. On the one hand, the authors of the Bible repeatedly paint …
What is Christmas? Is it like Thanksgiving – a holiday to eat good food, enjoy family, and rest from labor? Is it a time to go just a little farther into debt, buying presents and celebrating Santa Claus? Is Christmas a solstice celebration? A myth of elves and flying reindeer? A time to re-affirm religious orthodoxy? For …
Do you enjoy visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles? It doesn’t matter. No one expects you to enjoy it. But you will show up if you want to drive a car or get a photo ID. The service may be lousy and the staff surly, but there’s really no alternative. You’ll take a number, stand in …
When I was about twelve years old, I went through a phase when I was terribly afraid of hell. Like, wake-up-screaming scared of hell. Shouting-at-the-ceiling-because-God-won’t-answer afraid of damnation. My parents probably thought I was mentally ill, but that wasn’t quite right. I was living in a persistent state of spiritual terror. Somewhere along the way (maybe at …
Read more “I Want to Follow Jesus. Do I Need to Be Baptized?”
Isn’t that what being young is about, believing secretly that you would be the one person in the history of man that would live forever? – Vanilla Sky (2001) It’s not just the young who think they can cheat death. Most of the time, none of us dares to hold that stark reality before us. We live …
Read more “You’re Going to Die (And Why That’s a Good Thing)”
The title of this post alone may have already made me a Quaker heretic, but I hope you’ll hang with me on this. One of the unspoken rules of the Quaker tradition is that you’re not allowed to admit that you have a clear plan. According to this school of thought, any strongly-held, long-term planning is dangerous …