Thoughts on God

More God. Not More About God.

When I hear people talk about what is wrong with organized religion, or why their mainline churches are failing, I hear about bad music, inept clergy, mean congregations, and preoccupation with institutional maintenance. I almost never hear about the intellectualization of faith, which strikes me as a far greater danger than anything else on the [...]

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A Blessing from Jean Vanier: The Experience Powerlessness

A “blessing” I’d like spoken to me each day: May all your expectations be frustrated. May all your plans be thwarted. May all your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God the Father, the Son, and the [...]

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Dealing with the Mystery of Trinity

So, it’s the “day after” Trinity Sunday and I’m all caught up in the mystery! Yesterday, my message at The Bridge Community was terribly short and shallow.  We were meeting outdoors and having a cookout and party afterward, so it just didn’t feel appropriate to plumb the depths of the mystery of the Godhead while [...]

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The Boundaries of God’s Grace: Toward a Larger Vision of Truth

In preparing to speak this Sunday on Luke 4:22-30, I’m struck by the ways Jesus (then and now) challenges our boundaries and blows open the scope of his grace. The Quaker author and activist, Parker Palmer, writes in The Company of Strangers: Christians & the Renewal of America’s Public Life: “At the heart of any [...]

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An Open Letter to God, In the Wake of the Haiti Earthquake

Dear God, I want to jump right in with the questions: Why? Where are you? How long?  But, first, let me say, “I trust you.”  At least, I want to. In weeks like this last one, honestly, it’s harder to do. This planet just doesn’t make sense sometimes.  I’ve gotten to see quite a few [...]

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Buechner On Glory

“Glory is to God what style is to an artist.” With these words, Frederick Buechner cracks open a fascinating definition of ‘glory’ in Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABC.  He goes on: A painting by Vermeer, a sonnet by Donne, a Mozart aria — each is so rich with the style of the one who made [...]

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How Would You Introduce God?

Comedian Steve Harvey takes a shot at introducing Jesus in this video.  What about you, if you could introduce Jesus to an expectant audience, how would you do it? Enjoy:

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The “Jealousy” of God

The idea that the God of the Bible is a “jealous” deity has always left me wandering.  On one hand, I kind of like that God is “jealous for me!”  It shows a passion and interest that is comforting (if not egocentric).  On the other hand, jealousy is not the most admirable emotion – it [...]

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