In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. Take note: the heavens don’t simply part in this scene. No, they are torn...
Sleep: Your Turn
posted by DJL
Yesterday we look at our kids and sleep, but what about us? I don’t know too many people these days who complain about being over-slept and a lot who either talk about what little sleep they get or send those emails at 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. that let us all know just how late they were...
Mark 1:9
posted by DJL
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. There’s some serious ambivalence about this verse. Actually, it’s not the verse, but the event it narrates. So before getting to the specifics of the story of Jesus’ baptism, I want to spend a...
Are Your Kids Getting Enough Sleep?
posted by DJL
It seems like each year as our kids get older there are more and more opportunities – in sports, music, at school, with friends. But how much is too much? When does highly-scheduled become over-scheduled? One indicator, various researchers and pediatricians have suggested, is whether it affects our kids’ sleep. If they have a hard time either falling asleep at night or getting up in the morning, they are probably over-scheduled and under-slept to a degree that could be harming their development. If they’re falling asleep with difficulty, it could be because they are stressed, have spent too much time on a screen (TV,...
Mark 1:2-8
posted by DJL
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ”See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a...
The Power of Vulnerability
posted by DJL
Most of life, I think, is a dance between our desire to be loved and accepted, on the one hand, and a desire to protect ourselves from being rejected and hurt on the other. The trouble is, these two desires are most often at odds. That is, the only way you can believe you are really loved and accepted is if you allow yourself to be really known. That is, you stop pretending to be someone else; otherwise, you can never know for sure if they love you or the person you’re pretending to be. But to allow yourself to be known is a risk. The person to whom you reveal yourself may not like you, or may reject you, or may run away from you....
Mark 1:2-3
posted by DJL
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” As we’ll see throughout this gospel, Mark is very influenced...
Grace Isn’t Pr...
posted by DJL
I’ve often thought that before the good news is good news, it’s bad news. Why? Because it’s so totally what we don’t expect. We expect fair, and we get generous. We expect justice, and we get mercy. We expect “getting what you deserve,” and we get grace. All those words –...
Mark 1:1
posted by DJL
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I don’t know if he knew it or not, but Mark was actually inventing a whole new literary category with this opening sentence. Actually, it’s not even a sentence – no verb – but more of a phrase, almost a title. But with it...
Expert vs. Expertise
posted by DJL
Over the last two years I’ve been directing a research project at Luther Seminary that seeks to understand a little better what makes congregations thrive. Toward this end, we’ve partnered with about 40 congregations across the country and worked with them to discover what seems to work the best as they invite people more deeply into the faith. We’re at a point in the research where teams of two faculty members from Luther are traveling to visit each of the congregations. Our job, really, is just to listen to what these congregations are discovering and learn a) what we can share with other congregations and b) what we can do better at...
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