What do we leave behind?

What do we leave behind?

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. (John 14:27a, NRSV) Every spring for the last several years, I’ve participated in some sort of group clean-up of a river in the Chicago area. This year our church teamed up with a local group called Clean Up Give...
Cast-aside crosses

Cast-aside crosses

The message of the cross seems foolish to those who are lost and dying. But it is God’s power to us who are being saved. (1 Corinthians 1:18, NRSV) Like almost everyone else, I’ve been spending a lot more time in my home office this past year, which also means...
Be salty

Be salty

You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do people...
Ashes on top of ashes

Ashes on top of ashes

It was his big smile that caught my attention at first. There are all kinds of facial expressions that I see when I have imposed ashes over the years, but probably one of the most common is what I call the Solemn Look. The person waiting to be ashed may sense that...
Live Into Your Label

Live Into Your Label

…lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:10, NRSV) We used our church parking lot for a drive-in movie last October and, on the day of the movie as I was...