We are seeing the “mark of the beast” play out in real time before our eyes. Let me explain. Revelation 13 talks about two beasts, not just one. This is really important. Probably one of the best ways I have learned to think about this passage is through word pictures. The author is inviting us into grand imagery to make a point. He is asking us to engage our imaginations fully. The “beasts” aren’t the point in and of themselves. What the beasts represent is the point. So, in Revelation 13,...
2 days ago • 10 min read
Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, recently used the Bible to uphold the administration’s position on immigration enforcement (Link to his post is below). What is most troubling about his defense of the administration’s immigration enforcement is not simply his conclusions, but the way the argument itself is framed. Again and again, opposition to current immigration policy and enforcement is caricatured as a desire for “open borders,” lawlessness, or disregard for public safety. That framing...
2 days ago • 4 min read
Thursday night, February 5th, the president of the United States shared a video on his Truth Social account  portraying the Obamas as apes. I want to be unmistakably clear about why this matters. This is not a joke. This is not “edgy humor.” This is not politics as usual. Comparing Black people to apes is one of the oldest, most poisonous lies in the history of racism. It is the foundational myth that has been used to justify slavery, segregation, lynching, and ongoing dehumanization. It is...
2 days ago • 6 min read
Hello my friends, Today, many Christians around the world will be hearing Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in their worship services. So I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on it with you and see its radical implications for our world today. Before we get to that, Lent begins February 18th, so I wanted to quickly tell you that I am re-releasing my daily Lent devotional, "When Love Gets The Last Word." I have revised it and added prayers at the end of every day's reading. Those of you who...
8 days ago • 8 min read
Hello my friends, Thank you for being here. I feel like I write "it has been another heavy week" every week now, sadly. Given the several inhumane and shocking events of this last week, I wanted to focus on a question posed in the Bible that doesn't seem to get a lot of attention. The question of why the wicked seem to prosper. My hope in this piece is to not only process the reality of all that is happening and ask this question together, but also to hopefully encourage you to continue...
15 days ago • 7 min read
My friends, These days only seem to get heavier and scarier. Many of us wake with a knot in our stomachs, scroll headlines with a sense of dread, and carry the weight of our country and the world that seems more and more untethered from love, peace, and justice. In recent days, national leaders have threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a 1807 law that allows the president to deploy military forces against uprisings. This was in response to peaceful protests in Minneapolis after the...
22 days ago • 8 min read
My friends, It has been another difficult and heavy week in an already heavy time. I just want to remind you to take good care of your mental and emotional health. Build time into your schedule for a walk, for mindfulness exercises, for prayer, for time with loved ones, and for taking breaks from news and social media. To show up fully for others in this time includes showing fully for yourselves. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We must maintain healthy rhythms to maintain endurance. My...
29 days ago • 8 min read
Hello my friends, As we continue on into this Christmas season, we encounter John's introduction to Jesus entering the world at the beginning of his gospel. It is one that holds profound meaning and mystery, especially for our world today. I hope you find it encouraging and illuminating. Before we get started, I wanted recommend the book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself By Dr. Kristin Neff. I just recently finished it for the first time and plan on reading it again...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Hello my friends, This is being sent out on December 28th, so I hope your Christmas season has been filled with peace and encouragement. I know this can also be a difficult time for meany. Grief, hardship, and loss can make the holidays difficult to endure. I hope you receive an extra measure of peace and joy as time goes on. You are seen and loved. I don't have any recommended resources for you today. I just want to leave you with this reflection on Matthew 2:13-23. As you read, keep the...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read