God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall you be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he was called Israel. ~ Genesis 35:10 The fourteen year old (or there about) girl, sighed into her hand on the balcony, bemoaning her fate. To love someone with such a terrible, and yet wonderful, name. Montague. "What's in a name?" she asks. "That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." What is in a name indeed! To have a name be so contentiou

Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy,’for you shall go to all to whom I send you,and you shall speak whatever I command you." - Jeremiah 1:6-7 I've heard these words from people plenty in my life. I've said these words plenty in my life! I can't do that. I'm.... (choose your reasoning here). I'm too new. I'm not experienced enough. I'm not strong enough. I'm too young. I'm

Paul talked this week about new life. My very favorite poem in the world is called "Go to the Limits of Your Longing" by Rainer Maria Rilke. In it, God sends someone out to live the gift of new life. It's a short poem. I suggest listening twice. Once watching the artwork that goes with it and once with your eyes closed. I hope it moves you as it does me!

What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. ~ Romans 6:1-4 Under all the talk of dying to sin and b

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” ~ Matthew 22:36-40 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a ble

The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast. ~ Zephaniah 1:14a What is the prophet talking about here? Afterall, "great" has many meanings: substantial, significant, large, imposing, absolute, impressive, awe-inspiring, magnificent, total, utter, dominant, peerless, formidable... That's just the beginning of the list when you google synonyms for "great!" What seems to be so "great" and significant is that this line comes in the center of a text about all of

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. ~ Isaiah 31:18 How patient are you? I've gotten better at it as I've gotten older. I think I'm better at waiting for my flight to show up or for the vacation to come and special events to happen sooner rather than later. But the other stuff? The big stuff? Nope. Still not patient. Blessed are those wh

This week we had a reading from the Genesis creation story. I talked about the beauty found in the Hebrew language. So here is a video of all of chapter 1 of Genesis being read in Hebrew. There is a way you can follow along in English as well.

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. ~ Phi

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. ~ John 14:27 What is peace? When you hear Jesus tell you that he gives you his peace, what is it? What is deep, abiding Shalom? It is more than the opposite of war. It is more than the opposite of unrest. It is more than harmony. In a time frame where we see daily the ravages of violence in Gaza, in Iran, in Sudan, In Ukra

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. ~ Genesis 1:1--5 One of the

And you shall be my people, and I will be your God. ~ Jeremiah 30:22 The reading for today could just as easily be Exodus 6:7 or Leviticus 26:12 or Ezekiel 36:28. It's a recurring theme in scripture. You shall be my people. And I will be your God. Over and over again. God is relentless in wanting us to know that. What does it mean to be God's people? What does it mean for your life as an individual: parent? child? sister? brother? co-worker? citizen? What does it mea

Unless a grain of wheat shall fall. Here is a song that reminds us how we truly live. (note however - the close captions aren't alway correct)

You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give them, as long as

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality. ~ Acts 10:34 This comes from one of my favorite New Testament stories: the story of Cornelius the centurion who, along with his family, is baptized by Peter. In fact, I think one of the most important stories of our Christian heritage. It is on this story that really everything turns. It's in this story that the trajectory of "the people of the Way" moved toward global event. There is no way

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. ~ Philippians 2:1-4 As I read through this passage again and again

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ~ John 12:24-25 For a long time, the word I focused on in this passage was "hate." As if: "Really, Jesus? You want me to hate my life?" The previous verse really helps here. What good is a grain of wheat on it's own? Sa

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn ~ Isaiah 61:1-2 When you try your best, but you don't succeed When you get what you want, but not what you need When you feel so tired, b

Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! ~ Psalm 27:14 "Well I came home Like a stone And I fell heavy into your arms These days of dust Which we've known Will blow away with this new sun But I'll kneel down Wait for now And I'll kneel down Know my ground And I will wait, I will wait for you And I will wait, I will wait for you" I am not a patient person. Maybe it's my ADHD, or maybe it's something I haven't worked on enough. T

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. Some judg