Recently, I read an article about seeing with the “eyes of the heart.” The author of the article, Peter Marty, points out that Jesus had a “steady interest in blind people” and Jesus had a “hope for all of us to see truth with more than the eyes of our face.” While I cannot imagine the challenges of daily living as a…

I am currently reading a new book entitled “The Great Dechurching.” As the title suggests, the book explores the current reality of American life in which fewer and fewer people are involved with local churches. While the rate of decline in church participation is disturbing, the news is not all bad. Extensive surveys of the “dechurched” reveal that most of these folks…

As a young adult, one of my favorite bands was the Grateful Dead. The band had a hippie reputation that some folks saw as deviant and rebellious. However, the lyrics to many of the songs referenced a spirit of shared sufferings and shared life experiences. There was a message of hope that ran through the lyrics. Recently, I discovered a book entitled…

This week I read an interesting article offering a positive, hope-filled vision of the Christian faith despite so much negative news. The author states, “What if we saw Christianity not as a fragile artifact to be clung to and defended but as something waiting to be made?” In other words, Jesus is alive and guiding us into a future that we, as…

Hurricane season is upon us, and I am grateful that Florida did not see the level of destruction that some folks feared that Idalia would bring. Reflecting on the process of preparing for a storm, I see several encouraging faith lessons. First, changing events can and do require that we adjust our plans. Secondly, the ability to pivot and adjust with minimal…