We Too Can Be Prophets
I used to be the kind of Bible reader who would skim over names and places: Tiberius, Iturea, Lysanias, whatever. I would approach verses such as these* and simply read, ‘Long ago and far away, the word of God came to John…’ But reading this way misses what Luke was very explicitly trying to say: […]
The Beginning of the Story
“John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”* This is how Mark begins his gospel, the “good news about Jesus.” Do you see it? The beginning of the story about Jesus isn’t about Jesus at all– it’s about John. According to Mark, Jesus’ story begins before […]
Do More, Be More, Have More
Right after his glorious confirmation, right after being assured of his place and purpose—“This is my beloved, in whom I am well pleased”—Jesus faces the wilderness.* Great assurance, followed by great difficulty. Is it possible we heard wrong our calling? Have we strayed from the path? Surely God does not mean for the way to […]
Conscious Darkness – Jan. 10, 2020
“After years of being taught that the way to deal with painful emotions is to get rid of them, it can take a lot of reschooling to learn to sit with them instead, finding out from those who feel them what they have learned by sleeping in the wilderness that those who sleep in comfortable […]
