We have a good friend in an unfortunate situation right now. There are some avenues of relief open to this friend, but there is a stumbling block; an obstacle that, while on the surface appears easy enough to remove, in reality touches on some deep issues of pain and fear that paralyze him. Doing something… Continue reading The power of disappointment
Category: Faith
Jingle Bells
Mercy’s favorite song right now is Jingle Bells. The other day I was walking the kids over to my sister’s house to play (they are our surrogate back-yard) when Mercy asked me to sing Jingle Bells for her. “Sure!” I said, as I started to sing. As I walked down Kenwood in the afternoon heat,… Continue reading Jingle Bells
A compliment
Last night a young woman from our church came over to talk and hang out a bit. There were some things in my sermon on Sunday that had connected with her and her experience as a single woman, and it was great to hear her share her perspective on being single in our church. I… Continue reading A compliment
Quotation of the Week
[J]ustice is not necessarily “getting what you deserve.†This idea has crept perversely into our readings of Scripture, but it is Greco-Roman rather than biblical in origin. Get-what-you-deserve justice includes two things: a goal of orderly equilibrium where everyone is in the place they deserve, and a strategy of maintaining balance by responding in kind.… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
Sexy missions
I received an email recently from a dear friend who shares our passion for loving justice and mercy among America’s urban poor. In her email concerning a new initiative that Doug and I may play a part in, she says this: “We, so far, have not succeeded that way because gang kids and other urban… Continue reading Sexy missions
The gospel: “Follow me…”
By late afternoon yesterday, I had heard more police helicopters in one day than I had ever imagined possible. Along with sirens and cruisers racing down our streets, it was enough to unsettle. We spent the early evening over at my sister’s house in her backyard, enjoying dinner (and lots of space for the kids… Continue reading The gospel: “Follow me…”
Old flesh
I love any chance to listen to or read William Willimon, and his most recent blog post on conversion was striking to me. He writes: Deep in my Wesleyan once warmed heart is a story of how a priggish little Oxford don got changed at Aldersgate and thereafter. John Wesley’s life was well formed, well… Continue reading Old flesh
Good enough
A few weeks ago, Doug and I had the privilege of attending an event hosted by Northwest Neighbors that celebrated ten years of their ministry in Northwest Pasadena. As an organization, they do significant work in the lives of youth in their community, ranging from tutoring and mentoring to leadership development and discipleship. They are… Continue reading Good enough
Quotation of the Week
“No single human being can pray the psalms of lamentation out of his or her experience. Spread out before us here is the anguish of the entire Christian community throughout all time, as Jesus Christ alone has wholly experienced it… God’s ways are too difficult to grasp. But even in the deepest hopelessness, God alone… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
Ghetto no more
A few things have struck me recently about the changing identity of “urban” as it is used to describe America’s inner cities. As an “urban” minister, this word holds great weight and is filled with meaning for me in terms of the kinds of communities I feel called to: things like under-resourced, underprivileged, multi-ethnic, immigrant,… Continue reading Ghetto no more