The apostle Peter followed Jesus around Israel for three years. He walked with him, learned from him, and witnessed mind-blowing miracles by which Jesus declared himself to be the rescuing King God had promised. Each miracle—opening the eyes of the blind, making a paralyzed man walk, feeding thousands of people by multiplying a few loaves of bread—were glimpses of the kind of kingdom Jesus would establish for his followers. A kingdom of wholeness, abundance, and holiness. And that was exactly … [Read more...]
The Gospel According to… Halloween?
What if the gospel is more like Halloween than Christmas? If you grew up hearing that Halloween was the celebration of evil, you might feel as shocked as I did when the question was posed to me. When I considered how the two holidays might relate to the gospel, the thought of Halloween being a superior picture seemed downright heretical. Until I took my youngest son trick-or-treating. Costume design is not my forte, so my son dressed in his baseball pants, his team t-shirt, … [Read more...]
One More Important Cancellation
Is your Easter Sunday going to look a little different this year? Every year on Easter Sunday, our extended family begins our resurrection celebration with a sunrise service. At the end of a low-maintenance gravel road, 20-30 people--depending on the unpredictable spring weather—gather on the highest point in town. Strangely, or perhaps fittingly, the highest point of this village, nestled in the grasslands of the Midwest, is in the cemetery. On the coldest mornings, we huddle beside a … [Read more...]
What’s Your Love Story?
Every year around this time, especially when I'm pondering what to write about "love," I'm bombarded with song lyrics from the soundtrack of my teen years. Most of them come from pop songs I recorded on cassette with my single-speaker boom box. In so many of the lyrics about love, questions surround the concept. Questions about Love "What is love?" Haddaway asked, and has asked repeatedly for two decades. "What's love got to do with it?" lamented Tina Turner with her signature hair … [Read more...]
Welcomed With Forgiveness
{This work of fiction is based on the framework of John 21:8-9. Previously Part 1, Part 2} Water rushed into his ears, and muted the night sounds. The quiet underwater allowed the screaming questions and the agonizing apology to echo. When Peter broke the surface, he saw Jesus bending over the fire. He swam until he could stand and thrashed through the water to the shore. The unmistakable scar on the hand that stirred the coals and turned the roasting fish confirmed it. It is the … [Read more...]
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