Hello my friends, I hope this finds you well today. Thanks for being here. In our time together, I wanted to reflect on Peter rebuking Jesus in Matthew 16:21-28 when Jesus predicted his death and resurrection and what the "why" behind his rebuke might teach us about American Christianity today. Resources To Consider: -Why don’t Christians look to Jesus as a model for masculinity? I wrote this piece a few years ago as I reflected on the kind of masculinity I inherited and witnessed around me...
8 days ago • 10 min read
Hello my friends, I will often focus on a current event and/or the gospel passage from the lectionary here, but for today's newsletter, I just want to reflect on Psalm 46:1-2 with you. I have been pondering this passage a lot lately and so I want to share a recent experience I had this last week that made this passage come to life for me and see if it resonates with your heart. -What Is God Like? by the late Rachel Held Evens. I love reading this book to my children, so I wanted to recommend...
15 days ago • 7 min read
Hello my friends, Today, I wanted to reflect with you on Matthew 15:21-28, which features a rather unsettling interaction between Jesus and a woman asking him to heal her demon possessed daughter. He doesn't respond like the Jesus we have come to know and love. However, once we dig deeper into this passage, I think we will not only come away with a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play in that first century context, but also how those dynamics are still very much at play in our world...
22 days ago • 10 min read
Hello my friends, This week's lectionary passage is from Matthew 14:22-33 where Jesus famously walks on the water while the disciples were caught in a raging storm. Reading it in preparation for today's newsletter, I felt as if it spoke so clearly to our storm today, especially in how the original Greek speaks of the disciple's experience. So, with that, I want to invite you to reflect on this passage with me as we are in the middle of our own storm too. Recommended resources: -Zina Jacque's...
29 days ago • 10 min read
Hello my freinds, I have been thinking so much about about how Jesus' parable of the vineyard workers is so fitting to what we are witnessing from many corners of Christianity in the United States today. So, I wanted to reflect on that passage with you. Be sure to share your thoughts with me after reading. Recommended Links -Back To School Drive. Public Democracy America is hosting a fundraiser for families in need as the school year approaches. For a lot of families, the first day of school...
about 1 month ago • 9 min read
Hello my friends, Today I want to reflect with you on several parables from Jesus that he tells one right after the other in Matthew 13. They all have different metaphors and characters but a very similar theme. A theme that is very timely and needed in our context today. Recommended Resources -Half of Gen Z says Trump support keeps them out of church. By Ryan Burge and Rick Richardson. This article is based on a recent study that found that even among Gen Z Christians, the strong alliance...
about 1 month ago • 10 min read
Hello my friends, I am writing to you today tired and with a heavy heart about all that's happening in our world today. Based on the messages I've received, I know many of you are feeling the same. So, today I wanted to focus on a parable of Jesus and through it, acknowledge our collective grief and support one another as we move ahead together. Life In The Weeds. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (NIV) 24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read
I was opposed to Donald Trump long before he entered politics. His long and well documented history of abuse towards women, his racism (Central Park Five, housing discrimination, etc.), his lying, and blatant greed made it utterly baffling why anyone would admire the man. Then he entered politics and I couldn’t believe what I witnessed. At the beginning in 2016, I just assumed he wouldn’t even make it far given his reputation, especially among Christian voters. But as he rose in prominence,...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Hello my friends, Several of you have asked me why I remain a Christian in the midst of all the damage that is happening in our world today under the banner of Christianity. Well, today I wanted to process that question and the thoughts it brought up for me. I hope you find it helpful and encouraging. Recommended Resources -How to Change the World by Hidden Brain This episode is older, but I have thought of its significance so often lately. It interviews a researcher and author who presents...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read