#SundayCoffee Trying to Rescue God Every once in a while we get it in our heads that God is in danger of public neglect, and we (as a nation or state or city) try to enact some kind of legislation to protect God. We’re seeing a resurgence of this right now in the U.S., as certain states try to impose the “Ten Commandments” in our public places and classrooms, and where zealous political leaders with dubious motives start insisting the Bible be central to our education curricula. They echo and amplify public fears that we are becoming a godless nation, provoking the wrath of God. Every social o ..read more

#SundayCoffee When you’ve reached the end of religion Seems like I get myself caught up in a perpetual stream of “religion vs. spirituality” debates. “Religion is rules, spirituality is experience.” “Religion focuses on externals, spirituality is concerned with internals.” “Religion is believing in someone else’s experience. Spirituality is is having your own experience.” I find myself arguing against these polar views of one being good, the other bad. To me, religion is the human expression of our spirituality; it is spirituality lived in real life. It is not a matter of either/or. It is — an ..read more

#SundayCoffee Goliath never stood a chance. That’s the thought that hits me, reading this Sunday’s lectionary readings. “David and Goliath,” the young shepherd boy against the heavily armed giant warrior. We learn as kids in Sunday School that this was a miracle of God’s power. It was. But perhaps not how the teachers intended. Experts in combat and warfare will tell you. Against other heavily armored swordsmen, the well-fortified behemoth Goliath would be the likely victor. But against the quick and agile attack of a youth unencumbered by the weight of armor, armed with only a skilled sling s ..read more

It’s the little things. Years ago, when I was in a particularly difficult relationship, I had a moment of insight that changed the way I looked at life. “It’s the little acts of selfishness that kill a relationship.” And by extension, “it’s the little acts of kindness, love, that build a relationship.” The principle is true for most things in life, I think, not just relationships. Explosions happen. Major blow ups, let downs, conflict and crisis happen. They can be devastating. Same for good things. We all love it when something major happens for the good in our lives. I think, though, that th ..read more

#SundayCoffee What is the sound of God moving in your life? Gen 3:8 “They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD…” Most of us know the story of Adam and Eve. It’s an ancient story full of meaning, offering buried clues explaining the subtleties of life, why things are as they are, how they work, and holding up a mirror to ourselves. The Hebrew Scripture portion of this Sunday’s lectionary readings is from the Genesis creation story. And I stumbled on something I’d never in my ..read more

#SundayCoffee “Those who linger are the ones who hear” This Sunday’s lectionary readings include one of my favorite stories from childhood: God calling the boy Samuel in the night. It’s a potent story, laden with details and possibilities. Even a subtle invitation. A reminder of hope — that even in dark times when God seems distant, God is still lingering in the background, not too far away, waiting for someone who listens. We’re told in the text that the eyes of the old priest Eli “had grown dim so that he could barely see,” while the lamp of God, the oil-burning menorah, was flickering but ..read more

#SundayCoffee My Christianity has changed dramatically over the years. And far from being frightening, disorienting or confusing, it has been comforting, grounding, and expanding. In the evangelical world, we were (are?) taught to hold to unshakable truths. This is not a bad idea, but it is usually badly applied. What is unshakable is understood as “the Word of God,” that is, the physical book, the Bible (with a capital B). Heaven and earth will eventually pass away, but the Word of God stands forever, we are told. It is the only permanent truth, the firm foundation upon which to understand li ..read more

#SundayCoffee Simplicity, Love, and Joy This morning over coffee I read a post by a former evangelical questioning her own ability to trust herself in matters of faith. She’d been raised, as many of us had, in religious environments where we were taught to distrust our own understanding, that our hearts and minds were inherently deceitful, and the world was a trap of evil. The only sure and safe thing to believe is what we were taught the bible said. That was the truth. All else was to be distrusted. Now that she had distanced herself from that restrictive worldview, she felt unsure of herself ..read more

#SundayCoffee A thought on this week’s lectionary reading. “What is to stop me …?” An interesting question posed by an African eunuch on his way back home from worshipping in the Temple in Jerusalem. This week, churches around the world will be preaching about Philip, a leader in the early church, and the Ethiopian eunuch. And many will be sensitive to radical implications inherent in the story: a foreigner, a sexual-minority, someone “unclean” who would be rejected at the Temple, but welcomed into the new Christian faith. This same person, after likely having been challenged in certain Temple ..read more

#SundayCoffee “By what authority, and in whose name, do you do these things?” Getting into arguments on social media is its own punishment. But sometimes you just gotta. That’s how I felt this past week. And as they tend to do, the initial discussion took a sudden turn, this time into the current Israeli conflict. What dismayed me (I would say “surprised,” but it really was no surprise), was that the people I was engaged with, deep “Jesus-obeying” Christians, were loudly advocating for the bombing of Iran and further punishment of Palestinians in the guise of fighting Hamas. These were the peo ..read more