“Why are you cast down, O my soul?” Psalm 43 asks. Why indeed? Why not? Certainly there are many reasons to be downcast. Most scholars believe that this short psalm was actually part of Psalm 42. There are many good reasons for this, a key one being that the last verse, “Why are you cast […]
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What is your deepest desire? What do you long for? For many in Michigan, with our terrible roads and infrastructure, we might long for smooth, pot-hole free roads, and clean, safe water coming from our faucets. This past week, one such dream has been fulfilled for me as roads which required dodging back and forth, […]
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As I roamed the ruins beside San Francisco el Grande Church in Antigua, Guatemala, on a sunny morning, I decided to climb a set of stairs. By the time I reached the top of the stairs I was short of breath from the heat and the climb as I stepped into a panorama that took […]
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Random reflections on Psalm 39: God, why does life have to be so hard? I know my sinfulness, you know it too—after all you created me. If you know my nature then why be so harsh when I act in accord with that nature? When I behave in ways that are all too human? Remember, […]
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Who are the pariahs of our times? Who do we run from? Perhaps victims of AIDS who are considered unclean? Perhaps those disfigured by war that we don’t want to look at because it upsets us? Or stroke survivors who struggle to create a new normal after the debilitating effects of this attack on their […]
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Liar, liar, pants on fire – appropriate phrase as we listen to the political rhetoric around us. Satan is the prince of lies, a master of deception, and if so, his presence is apparent throughout our society. Lies are everywhere. They are destructive, none more so than the lies we tell ourselves. Amidst all of […]
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I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining. I believe in love, even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God, even when he is silent. Some claim this is an Irish saying, others that it had been written on a wall by a Holocaust victim. Whatever you believe, this is a […]
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As you sow, so shall you reap. Beware the yeast of the Pharisees. Consider the lilies. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Every valley shall be exalted and every hill laid low. Fear not. Give and gifts will be given to you, good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing. […]
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“My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” – Jesus cries from the cross, his lowest point, also his highest. This was what he had come here to do, to die so that we might live. In that moment he fulfilled all the Father had commanded. These last words in Mark’s gospel make up the […]
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How long, Lord? How long, indeed. God sure takes his time! “You are never late for yoga class,” my instructor used to say. “Whenever you arrive, you are just in time.” I was reminded of this while reflecting on Psalm 13. How long, the Psalmist cries out. God is taking his time to respond to […]
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