If I were making a list of all of the things that I wish Jesus had never said, this saying about having faith the size of a mustard seed…it would be near the top of my list. Not because it is wrong…or bad…or anything like that. But because it immediately makes us think of faith as a quantity…as something … More From the Very Smallest Things
In 2016, ABC News ran a story about a woman named Tiffany Otterbeck. Tiffany and her husband had had a baby, she’d gone on parental leave, and now, she had returned to work. One night, even though she was exhausted from working all day and then caring for her young daughter, she decided that she was … More No Place Too Far
Every weekday morning, our alarm goes off at 5:30am. After getting up, getting moving, tending to the dog and the cat, I head to the gym. I step onto the treadmill and look at my watch. It is almost always 6:01am as I press the “Start” button. (Or, 6:02am if I’m moving slowly.) I do … More Like Clockwork
Knee High by the 4th of July On the 4th of July, Lori and I took Kennedy for a walk “around the block.” It’s a long block. A little over a mile. And it takes us past the corn fields that are on Partridge Ave. I commented to Lori that the corn was definitely “knee … More Knee High by the 4th of July
Psalm 13 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day long?How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I … More How Long?
William Willimon, who is a retired bishop in the United Methodist Church, tells a great story about a friend of his who, in mid-life, decided that he wanted to learn how to fly a small plane. So William’s friend went out to their local airport and signed up for flying lessons. He was given this great … More Whisper in Their Ear
I have four words for you which either should either strike terror in your hearts, or make you laugh. Are you ready? Ok: here they are: I went axe throwing. Yes, it’s true. For fun and sport, Lori and I went axe throwing. We were invited by some good friends to join them in an evening of hurling axes at … More Muscle Memory
Mark was a functioning alcoholic who I met when I was doing my student chaplaincy at a treatment center in the Twin Cities. A “functioning alcoholic” is someone who is addicted to alcohol, but is able to maintain, at least for awhile, their jobs, their families and their lives. Their addiction often does great damage in these … More The God who Waits
I have a recurring task set up on my computer’s “to-do” program for noon, every Tuesday. At that time, I get a reminder that pops up on my screen that says “Let the Dog Out.” On Tuesdays, before the pandemic, Lori would go all day to the Twin Cities for her work. And because we … More Let the Dog Out
This has been hard. I know this to be true. Since mid-March, we have struggled with COVID, with a deepening racial divide and with a toxic election. And so much has been taken away. Not the lease of which has been our ability to gather together for worship every Sunday morning. A couple of weeks … More It Might Be Time to Build Some New Habits
Test Driving Theology 