Hello my friends, I can't believe it is already November. This year has moved slower and faster than I expected all at the same time. My prayers are with us all and our country as midterms approach. I hope for peace and for a brighter future ahead than the days we have been enduring together. I pray that no matter what happens, we will continue to lift our voices for the voiceless, the poor, the immigrant, and the marginalized. Today I wanted to invite you to reflect on All Soul's Day, which...
1 day ago • 14 min read
Hey my friends, Today I wanted to reflect with you on a section of Matthew's gospel that I have rarely heard preached. It comes directly after Jesus speaking to the Pharisees about the greatest commandment in Matthew 22. I think it has deep significance for the world we are living in today but is a deeply challenging concept to follow. Recommended Resources -The Word of a Humble God: The Origins, Inspiration, and Interpretation of Scripture by Karen R. Keen. How did we get the Bible? And why...
8 days ago • 9 min read
Hello my friends, Today I want to focus on an issue that is deeply important to me. The mistreatment of immigrant children by our country that claims to be "Christian." I have included some resources below if you are wanting to engage with this issue on a practical level. Recommended Resources: -Kids In Need Of Defense. This organization helps raise funds and provides resources for migrant children's legal defense. It is especially helpful since the current administration has cut funding for...
15 days ago • 7 min read
On October 12th, during a Trump rally at Youngstown, Ohio, several men physically assaulted a woman as the crowd chanted “USA! USA! USA!” The woman was wearing a t-shirt that said “Release the Epstein files!” She was exercising her first amendment rights. Peacefully protesting at a public event. Several men then began to push, punch, slap, and pull her to the ground. Then they high-fived each other. The police came and instead of taking the men who were attacking her away, they removed her...
19 days ago • 4 min read
Hello my friends, With recent event thrusting the topic of capital punishment and public executions into mainstream public discourse, I thought it would be helpful to spend some time in today's newsletter reflecting on that topic throughout church history and within Jesus' context as we navigate it ourselves in our world today. Recommended Resources: -A Statement of Conscience: People of Faith Reject the Livestreaming of an Execution This is an online petition by Change.org for people of...
22 days ago • 12 min read
Hello, my friends, Today, I would like us to reflect on one of Jesus's more searing parables to the religious leaders of his day. I think it has significant ramifications for leaders who claim to be Christian today. That is, if we listen to and heed his words as he intended. RESOURCES TO CONSIDER: -A Jewish Paul: The Messiah's Herald to the Gentiles by Matthew Thiessen. New Testament scholar Matthew Thiessen was kind enough to send me his book. In it, he offers a contextually compelling...
29 days ago • 10 min read
Hello my friends, Given recent events, I wanted to send out this newsletter to you today and reflect on them. On September 30th during his “State of the Force” address, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the creation of the Pentagon's new Office of Religious Affairs. As of the writing of this post, no individual has been publicly named or announced to head this office. According to Hegseth, the office will give military chaplains a "direct line" to him without "staff filters" and...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Hello my friends, Thank you for being here today. Given the several inhumane and shocking events of this last week, I wanted to focus on a question posed in the Bible that I've written on before but doesn't seem to get a lot of attention. It is the question of why evil seems 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 forward in hope towards justice. Recommended...
about 1 month ago • 10 min read
Hello my friends, Today’s gospel from the Lectionary is the parable of the vineyard workers from Matthew 20:1-16. I wrote a newsletter on this parable called “Resting Generosity,” which you can read here. Essentially, it is a parable about those who resent generosity shown to those they believe don’t deserve it. Today, I want to look at the first reading for today, Jonah 3:10-4:11, and how Jonah becomes furious with God’s compassion being shown to people he believes don’t deserve it, and how...
about 1 month ago • 9 min read