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Africa
I am working on a World History lecture on slavery and the Belgian Congo. I am haunted by this question: Why have we always abused Africa? Why do we still continue to abuse Africa?
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Billy Graham as an endorser?
I’ve wondered about the statements attributed to Billy Graham lately concerning politics. I was wondering if it was more Franklin and less Billy. Why, after all these years of ministering to Democrats and Republicans, does he turn to these endorsements now?
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Fasting and Loosing Chains
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away…
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Beans and Rice… and Prayer… and Saving Money
I continue to be challenged in prayer. Maybe it’s because I’m trying to pray more, and I found out God seems to be always talking. (I may need to look into that correlation.) One of the challenges for me is to fast regularly. My wife and I have decided to fast once a week. This weekend we also discussed moving…
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Voting… or not
If you haven’t noticed, which means you don’t have a TV or haven’t turned it on in the last three or four… months… election season is upon us. There are some who make the case for NOT voting. (Read all ten parts if you like.) Here is the deal (which you already know if you’ve followed me long enough or…
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The Transitions of Life
My friend Dave is leaving me this week. It’s an emotional break up for me. 😉 Dave and I met when he was in the Army and Terri and I were moving back to my hometown in Kansas. As travels, careers, families tend to do, we lost contact for many years. A few years ago, after we had moved back…
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Conflict with the world
Peace with God means conflict with the world, for the goad of the promised future stabs inexorably into the flesh of every unfulfilled present. — Jurgen Moltmann We are people who live “out of place.” We need to live with the hunger for home while we live with excellence here.
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Tired of the status quo
A quote I’ve carried with me for over a week: Prayer is rebellions against the status quo. As I was reading through Isaiah today, and came to chapter 54, I noticed in my margins I had written, “No more status quo.” These were the verses: Sing, barren woman who has borne no child; break forth into singing and cry out, you…
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The Pressing IN of Faith
The gospel for reading this morning was Luke 8:40ff. There are two people pressing in: Jairus (for his daughter) and the woman with the bleeding problem. Both needed to press in hard. Jairus comes and gets Jesus, but when word comes that his daughter is dead, the common sense thing would be to forget about it. Just go home. Bury…
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Why bother with the Old Testament?
The God of the Old Testament is so mean. He’s violent. He’s vengeful. The “God I know” wouldn’t ever be that way. The “God I know” would be more like this: “I know that you are a merciful and compassionate God, very patient, full of faithful love, and willing not to destroy.” Yes, sir, give me the real “God I…
