The event of April 8, 2024, only happens every few decades. It was the day of a total solar eclipse. The path of the eclipse included northern Ohio, so several of our family members secured an Airbnb for the weekend and positioned ourselves to watch. What an amazing show! The moon slowly covered the face…
Imagine kissing someone through a pane of glass. What a funny image! Who would do that? We might blow a kiss to someone as they walk away. We might jokingly imitate a kiss to another through a glass window. But no two people would exchange a purposeful kiss through glass, especially when the real thing…
I generally don’t pay much attention to the ancient church calendar. I’m not sure all the reasons why but the worship circles I frequently populate do not put an emphasis on the church calendar particularly Lent. But something is changing for me. I’ve been awakened to think of these church seasons in a new way…
The Bible is a book about holding. Now, this shouldn’t surprise us since we all hold things. Holding on to something is a natural part of life. We hold in a variety of ways, and with a variety of people. Holding can be an intellectual activity: “I finally got ahold of geometry.” Holding is a…
Jesus was a retreat leader, and we should follow His example. However, His retreats were different from our idea of a retreat. We picture a luxurious conference center with a meticulously planned schedule and sumptuous meals. Jesus lived a little differently. Matthew records how Jesus emerged from His “retreat” (Matthew 14:13 JBP) — a location…
Who takes down a tent and pitches it in a new location in December? My friend Dave Johnson did. When the Apostle Paul speaks of his death, he refers to it as “departing to be with Christ” (Philippians 1:23). This word “depart” pictures striking camp, pulling up the tent pegs to move on. What a…
Christmas is a celebration of nostalgia . . . and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of “White Christmas” or “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” bouncing inside my head. I don’t want to long for the “better” time of the past — a time more imagined than real. Down with nostalgia but up…
Our values are revealed by the words we do not use. I’ve seldom heard a message or participated in a discussion featuring these three words. These three words describe life in God’s Kingdom; they are words and ways that should mark the life of every disciple. These three words are peripheral to our culture’s picture…
Forty years is a big gap to bridge. I met Jim when he was nineteen years old and a freshman in college. Jim is now sitting across from me in restaurant as a late middle-aged man with children in college. What a difference forty years make! When I meet alumni from our former collegiate ministries,…
Eternity’s population will look very different from my hometown. My farming community in northern Ohio did not attract African Americans or other people of color. I grew up in a culture where everyone looked like me. College was no better in the late 1960s. There were few African American students on campus and no black…