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Faith and Doubt

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October 2023

October 07, 2023

Gospel Reflection: Cornerstone Calculus

This week's Gospel reading asks us to give up our usual way of computing value...

September 2023

September 04, 2023

Redeem vs. Rescue: A Sticky Showdown

Last week, I wrote about the declining numbers of those who align with organized religion....

August 2023

August 27, 2023

What Would a “Re-Churched” Church Look Like?

The title of an opinion piece published this week by acclaimed New York Times columnist...

May 2023

May 27, 2023

Gospel Reflection: The Holy Spirit is Closer Than Our Own Breath

What if Pentecost is less about the descent of the Holy Spirit from outside of...

May 17, 2023

Saying Goodbye

The gospel readings from Easter to the Ascension depict Jesus saying goodbye to his disciples....

May 13, 2023

Gospel Reflection: Org Charts and Confirmation Smarts

The gospel for the Sixth Sunday of Easter provides confirmation of the radical organizational chart...

May 04, 2023

Prayer: The Complicated Dance of Longing and Language

May the 4th might be the most interesting non-holiday holiday on the calendar! It's the...

May 02, 2023

Gospel Reflection: The GOAT on the Gate

The fourth Sunday in Easter opens the door to what it means to have the...

April 2023

April 19, 2023

Gospel Reflection: John 3:16

Today's gospel readings culminate in what may be the most frequently quoted line in the...

April 16, 2023

Gospel Reflection: Why I Love Doubting Thomas

Poor "Doubting Thomas." The focal point of today's gospel reading, he's usually thought of as ...

April 09, 2023

Easter Sunday: The Last Installment in the Limitations of Language Series

Holy Week has led to this day: Easter Sunday. Perhaps taking a closer look at...

April 07, 2023

Good Friday: Part 6 in the Limitations of Language Series

Good Friday is far more about life than death. Three often overlooked elements of the...

April 05, 2023

Wednesday of Holy Week: Part 4 in the Language of Christianity Series

Wednesday of Holy Week invites us to explore what we mean when we speak of...

April 04, 2023

Tuesday of Holy Week: Part 3 in the Language of Christianity Series

Tuesday of Holy Week takes us deeper into the drama of Jesus' fate. It also...

April 03, 2023

Monday of Holy Week: Part 2 in the Language of Christianity Series

Yesterday, I wrote that on one level, the lengthy gospel reading for Palm Sunday is...

March 2023

March 25, 2023

Gospel Reflection: Fifth Sunday in Lent

The Gospel of Jesus and the Gospel of Ted Lasso share a common theme: judge...

February 2023

February 26, 2023

A Surprising Suggestion About Sin

It would take many football fields to house everything written about the theology of sin....

February 25, 2023

Tempted by Temptation

The first Sunday in Lent tempts us to question what temptation is all about in...

October 2021

October 16, 2021

Little Joey Waits for Santa

Photo by Mike Arney on Unsplash I loved last Sunday’s readings, with their clever connective...

September 2021

September 24, 2021

The Trouble with Teams

Could this Sunday's readings be timelier? This sports fans thinks it has some important to...

September 19, 2021

The First, the Last, and the Ugly Truth

Sometimes the gospel calls us to see things we’d rather not. But then, seeing clearly...

September 04, 2021

On Being Opened

Photo by Ben McLeod on Unsplash My church is offering a spiritual growth opportunity that...

August 2021

August 28, 2021

Bumper Guards and Legal Scars

Life lessons at the bowling alley! The bumper guards have their place and have done...

August 13, 2021

What’s in a name? You’d be surprised!

Who cares if you don't know what a nurdle is? But some terms we really...

July 2021

July 31, 2021

The Magic of Bread Baking

Bread is the most elemental of all foods. It has something important to say in...

July 25, 2021

Revising the Loaves and Fishes Resume

What would Jesus have on his resume? Today's gospel reading about the loaves and fishes...

July 18, 2021

The Landscape of Longing

The longing for meaning is eternal. Religious faith may be the best - and worst...

July 04, 2021

Family matters . . . but not as much as we think!

Was Jesus an only child? Without a doubt, family matters. But perhaps it doesn't matter...

June 2021

June 27, 2021

Up the Down Staircase

Faith is something like an M. C. Escher lithograph. The staircase that seems to arrive...

June 19, 2021

Crashing Waves and Turbulent Skies

Hurtling through space at 550 miles an hour a good 35,000 feet above ground might...