Lord, teach me. . . .

My feeling is that labels are for canned food.  I am what I am—and I know what I am. –Michael Stipe I have this habit. It’s neither bad nor good; it’s just part of who I am. Whenever I buy a new sweater or top, one of the first things I do is cut the label out of the back of the neck. On my best days, I actually find my seam ripper and pick the stitching out, so there’s nary a trace of the label’s existence. I do this because the label makes me uncomfortable. It scratches and pokes. And for me, a label is really pretty meaningless. I don’t choose a sweater because it’s a Gucci or Vera; I choose it because I like the way it makes me feel, or because of its quality. (Bonus if it’s on sale.) Why do we even need labels, anyway? Does applying a label automatically make one sweater better or less worthy? It’s not about what’s on the tag; it’s about the sweater .  And it’s the same way with people, isn’t it? We are so quick to apply a label to someone. C...

We didn’t invent anything new. Hospitality has been around forever. –Joe Gebbia When Jesus comes to a party, it can become quite the affair. When he and his mother attended a wedding at Cana, it wasn’t long before the party was in trouble. Just when things appeared to be getting into full swing, the host ran out of wine. Can you imagine? Throwing a party and drastically underestimating the number of guests? How embarrassing! We don’t know who this family was, but we do know that when Jesus’ mother notices the problem and mentions it to Jesus, even though initially he declines, ultimately Jesus acquiesces to his mother’s wishes. In a big way. Jesus didn’t just turn water into wine; he turned gallons of water into very fine wine. And that’s where we often get stuck: on the miracle of water-to-wine. But this story isn’t just about Jesus’ first miracle. This story is about Jesus’ early illustration of the radical hospitality awaiting us all when the Reign of ...

Leadership is an art expressed by the demonstration of characters worthy of imitation, emulation and inspiration. It is neither a title nor a position. –Israelmore Ayivor Church-shopping is hard work. When we find ourselves wanting to return to church after a long absence (or maybe for the first time), or needing to move on because our current church home has changed (or, more likely, we are the ones who have changed), we hardly know where to start. The obvious thing to do is to ask our friends about their church. And inevitably, they will mention the pastor. After all, the pastor is the one who stands before the congregation every week, guides us spiritually, motivates us to be better people and generally sets the tone of the church. Right? Absolutely. Sort of. Ask yourself: if the person leading worship left unexpectedly, how would I feel about continuing to be a part of this church? What is it about this congregation that keeps me coming back every wee...

Peace is the beauty of life. It is sunshine. It is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is the advancement of man, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth. –Menachem Begin When I was out Christmas shopping, I was astonished at the number of “Ugly Christmas Sweaters” for sale! Rack after rack, in all sorts of sizes and colors. Some were truly garish, with barely an uncluttered spot front or back. But others, to my eye, weren’t really so ugly, at all. Oh, sure, there were plenty of sparkles and glitter, but I found the patterns of swirling snowflakes on a soft blue background to be peaceful and pure and lovely (at least by comparison). Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. And for those who have eyes to see, beauty is everywhere ! Especially in unexpected places. As we begin a new year together, I invite you to join me in a resolution to seek beauty in all things and in all people. To softe...

I hope that in this year to come, you are making mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something. –Neil Gaiman It’s that time again. Time to set aside the old and take up the new. Time to reflect, to discern where we accomplished good things—and where we could use some improvement. For some folks, the end of the year means sitting down and writing one or more resolutions for the New Year. Problem with so many resolutions, though, is that they’re old hat. The same old, same old. Nothing new or radically different. Ho hum. Why bother to make a resolution if you’re not willing to take a chance and strive to do something that actually might make a difference in our lives and the world ? Change is good. Upset—even upheaval—can be a very good thing. Reso...

It is now, at Advent, that I am given the chance to suspend all expectation . . . and instead to revel in the mystery. –Jerusalem Jackson Greer Advent can be a season of watching. We watch as nativity scenes spring up. We peer into the cradle, looking for the Christ Child. Christmas carols, Christmas pageants all invite us to come and see. But there’s more to this season than simply standing by and looking. Besides the standard nativity figures—Holy Family, shepherds, Magi—I believe there is one more figure that’s a necessary part of every nativity. It’s you . Pause for a moment and let your mind wander in to that first Christmas, when Jesus was born. Instead of merely looking in as an outsider, like we glance at a Christmas card, place yourself in the scene. Maybe you see yourself as Zechariah or Elizabeth, receiving news of an unexpected pregnancy long, long after you thought those days were over. How do you react when the angel Gabriel shows up? Or perhaps...

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable,  to be compassionate,  to have it make some difference that you have lived  and lived well.  --Ralph Waldo Emerson It’s that time of year, when every other piece of mail is a request for a donation from Boys’ Town, Sierra Club, The American Heart association—the list is endless. And the worst part is, when you send a check, immediately you get a letter asking for another one. It’s hard to say no , but it’s hard to say yes to everyone who asks. The thing about sending a check is, it’s easy. We feel good about helping someone or some cause, and it hardly takes any effort on our part. And that’s great. Really. But I would like to challenge you to get your hands dirty this year. Instead of just sending a check to some distant, sterile clearinghouse organization, why not pick up a few gift cards to local grocery stores and give them, face-to-face, to folks you pass day ...