Following Jesus in rejecting empire
Some thoughts about each of the podcast interviews
I was at an international conference where an African speaker said, “Why are Americans so interested in coming to Africa to solve poverty? Poverty is not a problem. Greed, now that’s a problem! Maybe Africans should come to America to help them solve greed.” I love provocative statements like that. I know that poverty is…
“Hey sir!” A voice calls to me from the parking lot. “Sir!” I pause on my way toward the Sherwin Williams paint store to pick up a gallon of “Sea Salt.” It’s a blue grey. A young man is calling to me. He is disheveled and carries a bag chock full of clothes and a…
Human beings are pretty inefficient. First of all, we are genetically designed to shut down for 1/3rd of our lives. That’s a lot of time we could be getting stuff done. A donkey, for instance, only requires about 3 hours of sleep per day. Donkeys can get a lot done. Consider the time it takes…
The ashes that mark your forehead on Ash Wednesday came from burning the palm fronds from last year’s Palm Sunday celebration. That’s deep. Think about it. On Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus riding into Jerusalem as king. A defeated and oppressed people go wild with hope at the installation of this Righteous Ruler, waving their…
When I’m feeling especially peeved about my country, it’s important to call to mind some of the things I love about it – Freedom of press, trial by a jury of one’s peers, and squirrels. However, there are times when the privilege of leaving the borders of America for a period of time serve as…