"This is the great message of the Christian faith: that God loves us and that nothing can separate us from this love. You don't need to earn it. There is nothing you can do to stop it. There is nothing you need to do to receive it, save accept it as the free gift it […]

“When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and get discouraged, I love and I hate, I feel bad about feeling good, I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. I am trusting and suspicious. I am honest and I still play games. Aristotle said […]

If I had one theme I could preach until the day I die it would be grace. Grace sneaks its way into almost every sermon I've ever written, probably because the longer I live, the more I understand how desperately I need grace. I disappoint myself and others far too often to not believe in […]

I have been thinking a lot about how Jesus pushed the boundaries. He broke right through the spiritual fences religious leaders had put up to keep people out, to keep people away from their God. As I read through the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life and ministry I cannot help but notice what a boundary […]

When my daughter was young, she had a ruthless Eastern European piano teacher. Ruthless. My girl was learning to overcome some shyness and self-consciousness, and we had hoped learning to play the piano would instill confidence. Not with this instructor, though. Our daughter practiced and practiced, playing the same song over and over again until […]

As Christianity in America has been hijacked by people for political gain, the great message has been lost. Throughout history, from the time of Constantine on, this has always been the tragic fallout of the unhealthy merging of political power and faith. When this happens, the simple good news gets lost, it gets marred and […]