As he went, the crowds pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage...
Effective Altruism
posted by DJL
I’ve been reading Peter Singer on and off for about fifteen years. He is a philosopher and ethicist whose writing is clear, incisive, thought-provoking, challenging, provocative, and sometimes quite controversial. This TED Talk is no exception, as he challenges all of us to examine the lives...
Luke 8:40-42a
posted by DJL
Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying. What would...
The Church Has Left the Building!
posted by DJL
I love the picture Spirit of Christ Lutheran Church (St. Louis Park, MN) has come up with under the leadership of their new pastor, Amy Orstad, to describe its life and mission. I love the picture because it reminds us that church is supposed to prepare us to meet God the rest of the week. I love the picture because it reminds us that God is out in front of us, waiting for us to catch up to where God is already at work in the world. I love the picture because it invites a new generation of Christians and seekers to imagine church differently. I love the picture because it’s the “good kind of crazy” that invites all of us to think...
Luke 8:38-39
posted by DJL
The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him. So they guy who had the demons driven...
Change or Progress?
posted by DJL
I found the following two-minute video simultaneously intriguing, stimulating, and just a little disturbing. First, a little context. The Glossary is a group that produces videos to promote books. They put together the video I highlighted a short time ago called “This is Water.” This one...
Luke 8:32-38
posted by DJL
Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the swineherds...
Easter Gratitude: 50
posted by DJL
50 Days of Easter Gratitude 50) Promises. It struck me again this Pentecost just how central are promises to our faith. Not guarantees, not proofs, but promises. We gather around the witness of the earliest Christians that Jesus – who embodied and taught God’s new kingdom of love...
The Land of Beginning Again
posted by DJL
Read Louisa Fletcher’s wonderful poem “The Land of Beginning Again” and then ask yourself if this is heaven. Heaven not as some distant and cloud-filled paradise but rather that place where all hurts are mended, all griefs comforted, all regrets repaired, all insults undone, all relationships restored. In painting a picture that reminds me a bit of C. S. Lewis’ Narnia, Fletcher reminds us that life – both here and in the world to come – is about relationships. And she reminds us that forgiveness – which is, in fact, releasing a claim on another so as to begin again – is the secret ingredient of life. But then ask yourself...
Luke 8:26-31
posted by DJL
Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at...
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