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I Want It All!

From times ancient to modern, greedy characters have populated our legends, stories, and films, from King Midas to Gordon Gecko (Wall Street), from Ebenezer Scrooge to Henry Potter (It’s a Wonderful Life), from the Pardoner (Canterbury Tales) to Mr. Krabs (SpongeBob...

The Comparison Game

“If you desire glory, you may envy Napoleon. But Napoleon envied Caesar, Caesar envied Alexander, and Alexander, I daresay, envied Hercules, who never existed.” – Bertrand Russell From our youngest days, we are forever comparing ourselves with others. Which sibling...

Forgiveness School

“Forgiveness is God’s invention for coming to terms with a world in which, despite their best intentions, people are unfair to each other and hurt each other deeply.” – Lewis Smedes In case you hadn’t noticed, the world is full of people in conflict. Our human lives...

Being and Doing

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21 One of the benefits of the season of Lent, as we prepare to honor Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday and celebrate his resurrection on Easter, is that we can give more attention to weeding out...

Glittering Vices, Glorious Virtues

“To flee vice is the beginning of virtue.”  – Horace As we begin this year’s 40-Day Spiritual Adventure (also known as Lent), I want to reflect with you how it is that we grow in virtue. Unlike our genes, which we inherit from our parents, virtues and vices are moral...

Harbors and Oceans

All people seem to have an internal setting that governs how risk-averse and how risk-tolerant they are. Some seem to be born for danger and peril, and their exploits can be seen on a continuous video loop at any Islands restaurant. Others are naturally cautious, slow...

You’re a Minister

Five-hundred years ago, the Protestant Reformers reasserted some central theological principles in response to various abuses that were taking place in the Catholic Church. Principles such as, “You can’t sell salvation to make money.” “We are saved by Christ alone,...

The Many Faces of Love

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7 This weekend, Carrie and I are celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary. (My thanks to Kindy DeLong for facilitating this getaway by preaching in...

Living a Christ-Centered Life

This week, I invite us to remember a simple yet central part of our Christian faith. We are called to follow in the way of Jesus. To become more and more like him. In thought. In disposition. In behavior. In righteousness. In courage. In love. Especially in love....

Envisioning Our Shared Future

Over the years, acquaintances have tried to sell me on sure-fire opportunities to make good money. Multi-unit real estate investments. Wildcat oil wells. Sports memorabilia. Cryptocurrency. Non-fungible tokens. But here’s the thing: I’m not a fan of get-rich-quick...