This week I am at Mennonite USA’s biannual convention, so wanted to say a few words to Christians, of which us Mennonites are only a very small part. So keep in mind that these words are for Christians, in language Christians understand, within their shared tradition. Although you are more than welcome—in fact, you … Continue reading A Few Words For My Divisive, Divided, Dividing Christian Brothers and Sisters
Jesus
The Goodness of Grief: Part 10–Like Birds in a Mud Hole
Sometimes you see something that you just can’t unsee. And no, I’m not talking about that scene in episode 3 of that Netflix show you thought was harmless…until suddenly it wasn’t. No, what I’m talking about is one of those things that you see that you know means more than simply what you are seeing. … Continue reading The Goodness of Grief: Part 10–Like Birds in a Mud Hole
The Goodness of Grief: Part 6–Genuflecting with Trash
Sometimes you have to genuflect with trash. Early on in the life of Jesus’ followers, there was a common awareness that God had revealed Himself as Father, and through Jesus the Son, and by the movement and presence of God’s Spirit. There was this early belief in a threeness to the Oneness: God is unified, … Continue reading The Goodness of Grief: Part 6–Genuflecting with Trash
The Goodness of Grief: Part 5–What I Can Do When There Is Nothing I Can Do
Speaking in front of people can be intimidating…and dangerous. After over 20 years of speaking to groups large and small, my heart rate still turns up a notch. My head still starts to ache. There might even be a little perspiration going on… And in our context, cards are passed out to those listening so … Continue reading The Goodness of Grief: Part 5–What I Can Do When There Is Nothing I Can Do
The Goodness of Grief: Part 4–Everybody’s Thing
My parents have this saying that I just love, “Everybody’s got their thing.” And what they mean by that is every person we encounter is carrying around with them a trauma, a burden, a rejection, a hurt, a grief. Everybody. I would add this: The only people that don’t have a “thing” are the people … Continue reading The Goodness of Grief: Part 4–Everybody’s Thing
The Goodness of Grief: Part 1–Heart Ache Ain’t No Metaphor
I haven’t blogged in a while because our family is reeling from some really difficult news. Suddenly, reality has shifted. The life as we had known it is gone. And while there is a great deal of hope that we can make it through this thing, we also recognize that we may not come through … Continue reading The Goodness of Grief: Part 1–Heart Ache Ain’t No Metaphor
Older than Dirt: Part 8—There Might Be Another Door, and You May Not Like It
People seem to be terrified that Jesus is as loving and forgiving and good as he is made out to be in the accounts of his life. There seems to be a real fear that grace is how the whole thing works, is how the One runs the universe, is the only thing the dirt … Continue reading Older than Dirt: Part 8—There Might Be Another Door, and You May Not Like It
Older than Dirt: Part 7—Jesus’ Preferential Option for the Party
Sometimes Jesus would be called a “glutton and a drunkard” by those outside his immediate circle. Which tells us one thing: Jesus was probably a lot of fun to be around. Calm down. I’m not suggesting that he was a glutton or that he often found himself inebriated. What I am saying is that … Continue reading Older than Dirt: Part 7—Jesus’ Preferential Option for the Party
Older than Dirt: Part 5—Try Not to Step in the Blood
If you wanted to make peace with a nearby tribe in the ancient Near East, it usually required spilling a lot of blood. I’m not saying that this should make sense to us now, but somehow it did make sense to them then. Instead of spilling each other’s blood, they would take a few animals, … Continue reading Older than Dirt: Part 5—Try Not to Step in the Blood
Older than Dirt: Part 3—The Age of Grace
For those who follow Jesus and the Way of Jesus, seeing an image of the cross is a sign of forgiveness, of hope, of death defeated. But it wasn’t always that way. Those that would know Jesus before his death would not have believed you if you were to tell them that the Roman cross … Continue reading Older than Dirt: Part 3—The Age of Grace