When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and...
Sabbath
posted by DJL
I’ll be the first to admit it: I stink at Sabbath. It’s not that I don’t know how to rest or relax or have fun. There are few things I enjoy more, in fact, than playing a game of Hearts or Settlers of Catan or whatever with my kids. It’s just that I don’t do that enough. But it’s not even that. It’s more that if I have an opening of time, my first thought isn’t to rest and to give thanks for the opportunity to rest. Heck, not only is that not my first thought, it’s pretty much my last thought. Instead, the first (second, third, and fourth as well) thing that occurs to me is, “What...
Ken Burns on Story
posted by DJL
Stories, as we all know, are powerful. They give us the ability to take amorphous thoughts and feelings and make them concrete and accessible. For this reason, we make sense of and share most of our life in and through story – not just big huge narratives but all the little stories we...
Mark 4:1-9
posted by DJL
Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower...
A Hymn to the Father
posted by DJL
John Donne’s “A Hymn to the Father” was one of the first poems that I really came to appreciate. I think it’s because it names something that seems to permeate so much of the religious life – I’d say in our time and land, but apparently it was so in Donne’s time as well: fear....
Spring Recitals
posted by DJL
It’s the time of the spring for end-of-the year concerts and recitals. And so I found the following picture of second-graders from Germanshire Elementary getting ready to perform absolutely adorable. Jim Weber is the photographer and you can find it and a whole series of pictures...
Mark 3:31-35
posted by DJL
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking...
10 Things Churches Can Learn from the Apple Store
posted by DJL
What follows below is a post from Guy Kawasaki who was for many years a “chief evangelist” for all things Apple and who continues to write about excellence in design, marketing, innovation, and retail. In this piece he summarizes some key insights from a book about the phenomenal retail success of the Apple store. As I was reading Guy’s post, I couldn’t help but think about how many of these same insights might apply to the ways we think about church. So I’ll place the whole of the original post below so that you can read Guy’s insights. But I’ll also comment (in italic) after each section, offering a...
Mark 3:28-30
posted by DJL
‘Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” These few verses have occasioned...
Dear Photograph
posted by DJL
My friend Ben Cieslik recently sent me a link to the following site. It’s a place where people superimpose an old photograph of a beloved place or person over a new one to show how time has changed, the relationship matured, and life has moved on. I found it just beautiful and at times...
Recent Comments