What Makes You Cry?
Why is it that some people rarely cry while others weep at the opening of a new supermarket? Sometimes it is a matter of maturity. While we expect babies to cry when hungry or frightened, we encourage older children to “Be a big boy” or “Be a big girl and don’t cry.” It’s partly temperament […]
When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong: Reflections on Moses, Jeremiah, Paul, and Charlie Brown
If you’ve ever read the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz or watched Peanuts movies, you probably understand that the famous main character, Charlie Brown, struggles with feelings of inadequacy and other anxieties. To give you a picture, Charlie Brown fails in nearly everything he does, seems to encounter bad luck everywhere he goes, and […]
For I Know the Plans I Have For You?
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) A key component in biblical literacy is learning to recognize that the Bible is not my story, but God’s story. It’s not first and […]
Meet Your Mentors in Exile
Christianity from the beginning existed on the margins. It didn’t start out the state religion of Rome or the favored spirituality of the Greco-Roman cultural elite. Since then, it’s true that there have been long stretches in which Christianity has enjoyed favored status in various civilizations. However, a good metaphor for Christianity in Western culture […]
