In the verses prior to the ones in today’s reading, Jesus reminds us that the gospel can break families apart; it can set men against their fathers, daughters against their mothers....

My dad died when I was young. My family rarely attended church, so the most positive in uence in my life was Boy Scouts. I learned to love the outdoors, and...

I recall a cartoon in which the lead character, Andy, walks by a fence with a NO TRESPASSING sign nailed to it; on the other side of the fence is an...

God, if you don’t come to my rescue, l am going to die” is a lament frequently heard in the Psalms. Freud said that the fear of death is the great...

Rich Melheim says that by the end of the day we should be able to name a high and a low—and we should pray about both. That really is a countercultural...

Today’s reading offers several hard conversations that remove the smile from Abraham’s face. God’s demand for a sacri ce will remove the laughter that Isaac has brought to Sarah and Abraham’s...

Throughout our life we try to avoid hard conversations—the ones that may embarrass, leave you feeling a fool. Hard conversations have an impact on our relationships; they don’t remain the way...

The ght for freedom from apartheid lies deep and strong in the memory of many people who lived through it. Steve Biko, murdered in September 1977, had been a trailblazer who...

Abalding friend remarked, “I try to make life easy for God. No one will have trouble counting the hairs on my head. Oops, there goes another!” It never fails to get...

Surely Jesus’ teachings and actions bring extreme responses. The words of this particular passage come on the heels of the Sermon on the Mount, some healings, and the call of the...