Two days ago I turned sixty-four. When I was twelve, my father died suddenly just weeks short of his sixty-fourth birthday. I am a break-the-cycle sort of guy. I have now...

Peter is the disciple who seems to be in the right place at the right time. On the seashore of Galilee, fisherman Simon, always ready for an adventure, hears the call...

Even the least Bible-literate people among us have some clue about David, to whom this psalm is attributed. We may recognize him through popular culture’s portrayal of the man in the...

In this letter, Peter begins to develop thoughts about the household of God and the unity of that household—the deep connections within the household. In October 2010 I attended the North...

Sometimes scripture throws us a curveball. We read it; read it again and still ask, “What?” Acts 7:58 is such a verse for me. It appears out of place, an anomaly...

This week’s scripture references many personalities, some familiar and some not so familiar. I had this image from the classic ‘60s film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with Paul Newman...

What turns a group of defeated disciples (read: students) into a vibrant host of apostles (read: missionaries)? What sparks dozens, hundreds, and then thousands to adopt a Way of faith and...

When readers in 2017 read all of First Peter, we encounter the author’s apparent acceptance of oppressive institutions of his day: economic, political, and ethnic forms of slavery; inequitable relationships between...

This part of Psalm 23 may mystify the young child who learns this scripture by heart as a prayer. But as that child matures, the invitation to the Lord’s banquet of...

Sheep cannot graze in the same pasture all year, unless it is a small flock in a large, lush pasture. Sheep can overgraze, eating until they consume all the grass, including...