Read the rest of the series Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) Mourning does not sound like a blessed condition. Grief hurts. To sugarcoat grief is evil. Grief is a fact of life. Everything ends. Every relationship ends, if
Part 10 of the 12-part series “Lepers, Loons and Losers: The Outcasts of the Gospels.” Read the rest of the series here. “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John
Read the rest of the series We lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender folks are blessed. Really? Aye, it’s a real mixed bag out there. We gain some victories but we are still pariahs in too many places in this world. Still, I assert, we are
Part 9 of the 12-part series “Lepers, Loons and Losers: The Outcasts of the Gospels.” Read the rest of the series here. Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) He was a criminal. Some translations of the Bible
Part 8 of the 12-part series “Lepers, Loons and Losers: The Outcasts of the Gospels.” Read the rest of the series here. In the countryside close by there were shepherds. (Luke 2:8 New Jerusalem Bible) Whether as small figurines in a home nativity scene or
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. (Psalm 89:14 NIV) The passage of the 11 anti-gay initiatives has alarmed me and stirred up within my heart a continuing alertness to what God is doing in us, through
We have all heard the fundamentalist sound-bite, “It was ‘Adam and Eve,’ not ‘Adam and Steve.’” This saying is shorthand for identifying that the speaker is a believer in the doctrine of the Natural Order of Creation. Just what is this doctrine, and does it
Part 7 of the 12-part series “Lepers, Loons and Losers: The Outcasts of the Gospels.” Read the rest of the series here. Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus. (Luke 19:1) When it comes to compiling a list
Therefore we also, since being surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 NKJV) Heritage and
Part 6 of the 12-part series “Lepers, Loons and Losers: The Outcasts of the Gospels.” Read the rest of the series here. A woman came to him whose little girl was possessed by an evil spirit. (Mark 7:25) I have a confession to make: I