33Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. —Matthew 6:33-34 The Christianity that I grew up with was always looking to the future. “When … Continue reading Living in the Now (Matthew 6:33-34) →

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and … Continue reading You ARE the Salt of the Earth (Matthew 5:13-16) →

This morning I am struck by the first verse of Matthew 4, which sets up the story of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness: Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil (diabolou) might tempt him. (Mt. 4:1 CEB) This verse opens up many questions, such as why the Spirit of … Continue reading Who Is Our Accuser? (Matthew 4:1-11) →

Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to be baptized by John. He said to them, “You children of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the angry judgment that is coming soon?  Produce fruit that shows you have changed your hearts and lives.—Matthew 3:7-8  I wonder if the Pharisees and Sadducees had any clue what they were … Continue reading By Our Fruit We Are Known (Matthew 3) →

 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. 2 They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.”  3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and … Continue reading The Trouble With Jesus (Matthew 2) →

19 Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly.—Matthew 1:19 (CEB)  Matthew’s story of Jesus begins with fathers. At the very beginning, before anything else is said, Matthew provides a genealogical record of Jesus’ ancestry, trying Jesus back to Abraham through the … Continue reading Being Quietly Righteous →

Hi, my name is Jay. I am undisciplined.  I hate to admit it, but I struggle with consistency in my devotional life. It’s not that I don’t want to be engaged in seeking after God. No, my problem is that I often get bored in maintaining a consistent practice. I will settle on one approach, … Continue reading The ADD Devotional Life — Another Lurch →

46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for those who come to me and hear my words and put them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When … Continue reading 5/13/2011 — Foundations →

26 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you … Continue reading The Grumbling Pastor →

Lent and Holy Week pretty much wore me out this year, which is why it’s been so long since I’ve updated this blog. Knowing my level of exhaustion, I arranged to visit the St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana the week after Easter, and found myself renewed in arms of that intentional community of Grace. During … Continue reading 4/28/2011 — A Plea for Love from St. Meinrad’s →

Receive, Lord, the offering of our lives: that every breath might be holy to you. O God who is more ready to forgive than I am to be faithful, I fall on my face before you, acknowledging my sin. As the so called leader of a tribe of people known as your church I fall … Continue reading 3/29/2011 — A Prayer of Confession →

I’m desperate for you. I’m lost without you. —Breathe by Marie Barnett  What does it mean to be possessed? We tend to think of being possessed as something demonic, Linda Blair in the movie The Exorcist, with little upside for a “normal” person. And that seems to be case for the man possessed by a demon … Continue reading 3/12/2011 — Possessed by Christ →

I’m working on the buildingIt’s a true foundationI’m holding up the blood-stainedBanner for my lordWell I never get tired, tired, tired of working on the buildingI’m going up to heaven to get my reward—Lillian Bowles and W.O. Boyle Why is it,that WE think we’re so important in God’s equation,the equation, that is, that leads to … Continue reading 2/27/2011 — Unless the Lord Builds The House →

Each of us has his own endowment from God, one to live this way, another in that. It is an impertinence, then, to try to find out why St. Paul was not give St. Peter’s grace, or St. Peter given St. Paul’s There is only one answer to such questions: the Church is a garden … Continue reading 2/16/2011 — A Mixed Garden →

I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. —Psalm 119:19 The more I look at the world around me, the more I feel like a stranger to the world, for the world I grew up with seems so out of sync with life around me. I grew up when mutual … Continue reading 2/24/2010 →

O God who uses the most unlikely of things,from an ass on a dusty road,to a teenage girl from the sticks of Galilee,we give you thanksfor the way you use the most unlikely thingsto bring us truth.Your ways are not our ways.We would lift up the powerful and charismatic. You lift up the weak and … Continue reading 2/21/2011 — Thanksgiving for the Unlikely →

Oh when the saints, go marching in,Oh when the saints go marching in,Oh how I want to be in that number,When the saints go marching in. Come now, and see the works of God,how wonderful are God’s deeds toward all people.   God, I don’t know why we don’t seem to understand your ways,and why … Continue reading 2/12/2011 — A Prayer of Thanks for the NAACP →

Oh you beautiful fool…Swimming upstream kicking up wavesDreams weren’t meant to come trueThat’s why they call them dreams…“Beautiful Fool” By Don Henry Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and make good on your promises to the Most High.—Psalm 50:14 Master of the Universe, and provider of us all,I raise up my praises this morning for … Continue reading 2/10/2011 — A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving →

Tempted and tried, we’re oft made to wonderWhy it should be thus all the day long;While there are others living about us,Never molested, though in the wrong.—“Farther Along” by Anonymous/Unknown “Do not become envious,” the psalmist writes, “when some become rich, or when the grandeur of their house increases.” While I want  to be humble … Continue reading 2/9/2011 — Farther Along →

I’m just a poor, wayfaring stranger, traveling through this world of woe,and there’s no sickness, toil or danger, to that bright land to which I go. —Wayfaring Stranger  The congressional leaders who passed the Dawes Act of 1887 which in essence stole tribal lands from the natives so that they could be used be white settlers … Continue reading 2/8/2011 — But a Puff of Wind →