Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. Earlier I referred to Paul’s correspondence with the Philippians as a love letter, not in the romantic sense but rather as an example of the Christian love displayed between a community and its leader. Others have called this “Paul’s...
Prayer and the Power of Connection
posted by DJL
A weekend ago I was in Colorado and during worship we prayed for the folks on the East Coast as they prepared for Hurricane Sandy. This past weekend I was at home in Minnesota and on Sunday we prayed for those same folks, now on the other side of the Hurricane, and for all those who were working to help them cope with the devastation. A little later in the prayers we also offered our hopes and concerns for those members of our congregation who had left the day before for Ethiopia where they would be partnering with local churches to build wells. Tonight and tomorrow I am in Pennsylvania with a group of pastors on retreat, and we will pray...
Philippians 2:25-30
posted by DJL
Still, I think it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus—my brother and co-worker and fellow-soldier, your messenger and minister to my need; for he has been longing for all of you, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. He was indeed so ill that he nearly died. But God...
You Are a Leader
posted by DJL
There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks and months about leadership. That’s to be expected, of course, as we approach the end of a grueling, intense, and important presidential campaign. But now that we are at the end, I’d love for us to shift the conversation about leadership from our elected officials to ourselves. In particular, I’d love to take more seriously the role that each of us has to play every day as a leader – in the home, in our places of work and volunteering, in our congregations and communities. I want us, that is, not only to look to elected officials to be good leaders – and to hold them accountable for...
Philippians 2:19-24
posted by DJL
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But Timothy’s worth you know, how like a son with a...
Daring Greatly
posted by DJL
Today’s poem is, well, not a poem. Rather, it is a portion of a speech given by Teddy Roosevelt at the Sorbonne, in Paris, in 1910. I was introduced to it by reading Brene Brown’s recent book, Daring Greatly, which is not only a fantastic read but whose title is inspired by Roosevelt’s...
Philippians 2:17-18
posted by DJL
But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you— and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me. And now it gets hard. Paul really has no idea if he will survive his present ordeal. Except...
Campaign Fatigue
posted by DJL
The young girl pictured here is Abigael Evans, and this is her reaction after seeing one – or maybe one hundred and one – too many campaign commercials. Abigael’s mother posted this on YouTube this past Tuesday and four million views later I think it’s captured the way a lot of...
Justice
posted by DJL
Bryan Stevenson isn’t your typical crusader. He’s relatively soft-spoken, tells winsome stories, and makes his arguments as much by sharing his own experiences as by sharing facts. But make no mistake: his is a passionate crusader for justice. Founder of the Equal Justice Initiative,...
Philippians 2:14-16
posted by DJL
Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of...
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