This is the fifth commandment, given by God to Moses, as one portion of his instructions to the Israelites. While we often emphasize this command only with children, it is… read more

Incarnationalists, like me, love the way the holy occupies the ordinary. We are most excited at Christmas time when God becomes human, the holy becomes fleshy, eternity becomes… read more

There is an erroneous assumption that being a Christian is equivalent to being a nice person. True Christ-following goes far beyond simple friendliness, however, to a genuine… read more

Renowned author Henri Nouwen used the book In Memoriam to tell the story of his mother's death and his consuming grief. Somebody asked Nouwen, “Why do you do this? Why are… read more

On April 16, 2007, thirty-three lives were violently lost on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, where as I serve as a United Methodist pastor. That Monday was… read more

Sandra Owens had just been appointed to Redeemer, a mostly white, middle-class congregation with an average of thirty-five in worship. The church was in a large city, but not in… read more