Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. You’d think that by now they’d begin to get it. The disciples about Jesus, I mean. Okay, so they saw Jesus walking on...
The Happiness Delusion
posted by DJL
Earlier this spring I read, and very much enjoyed, Daniel Gilbert’s Stumbling on Happiness. Despite what the title might sound like, it’s not a self-help book. And, to tell you the truth, it’s not really about happiness. It’s actually about what makes us unhappy. In particular, it’s about why we are often so poor at predicting what will make us happy. The answer, it turns out, has a lot to do with our memories and, especially, the fragile, even malleable nature of our memories. I don’t know about you, but I tend to think of memory as something akin to a video camera, silently recording all of our experiences. It might be hard to...
Mark 6:47-51
posted by DJL
When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they...
Those Winter Sundays
posted by DJL
Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” resonates with the remembrance of ungrateful youth. All the boy could recognize is that he had to get up early, probably to go to Church when he didn’t want to, fearful of angering his father, sullen because of that fear and the ache of not being...
Mark 6:45-46
posted by DJL
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray. “Immediately” is a big word in Mark. It appears all over the place and helps him convey the...
Mr. Rogers and The Garden of Your Mind
posted by DJL
Fred Rogers was a Presbyterian minister serving in the Pittsburgh area who was dissatisfied with television programming for children and decided to do something about it. His “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” ran for nearly 35 years, influencing a generation of children, including me. A week ago PBS released a remix of several scenes from his shows entitled “The Garden of Your Mind.” It’s already garnered more than 4 million views and seemed like a good pre-Father’s Day selection. The YouTube description closes with the invitation, “If you like this video, please support your local PBS station.”...
Mark 6:30-44
posted by DJL
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place...
When Do You Stand Ou...
posted by DJL
…and when do you fit it? It’s an incredibly important question. Seth Godin describes these two options for action in a recent and very brief post: Stand out or fit in. Not all the time, and never at the same time, but it’s always a choice. Those that choose to fit in should...
Mark 6:30-31
posted by DJL
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. There is something both beautiful and poignant about...
Hope as the Heart of the Christian Faith
posted by DJL
In this week’s column I write for Working Preacher I suggest that the simple parable of the mustard seed – which is the gospel reading for this Sunday – is not so much a cute maxim or fable about great things having modest beginnings, which is the way I usually hear it preached. Rather, and as I talked about in a recent Daily Bread devotion, I think it’s a warning that the kingdom of God, once it takes root, will spread like an unruly weed (which is what mustard was considered in the ancient world). Of course it’s only a warning to those who are satisfied with the status quo, those who benefit from the way the...
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