The pharisees and the Temple authorities were right, you know. Jesus hung out with the worst people. It’s true. In their eyes, at least. And those good ol’ pharisees, the keepers of Hebrew Law, even tried to help Jesus realize that. They’d try and help by pointing out that some...
Remember playing with Play-Doh when you were a kid? Or, if your parents or school teacher made their own, it was play dough. It was, and still is, a lot of fun. You could make some amazing sculptures, pottery and other cool stuff with it. At least, it probably looked...
For quite some time, scholars studying the Bible have been pretty sure that the Letter to the Hebrews attributed to Paul wasn’t really written by Paul at all. And by “for quite some time,” I mean since the second and third century. They’re not really sure who wrote it, but...
A woman, bent over from a crippling ailment, is healed by Jesus. On the Sabbath. This week we’re discussing the power of human connection and authentic listening in helping others to release their burdens and become whole. We’re also talking about miracles, self-care and what the Sabbath is really supposed...
The gospel of Luke recounts a story in which Jesus heals a woman “with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years” and he does it on the sabbath. This draws the ire of the leader of the synagogue who accuses Jesus of violating the sabbath law by doing...
Who are your heroes? Why are they your heroes? What have they inspired in you? Sure, we have people we might look up to because of a skill or gift that they have: an athlete, artist, soldier, tradesperson, maybe even a politician. (Could be. Maybe.) Someone with a gift we...
When you listen to Trigg, you feel like you’re having coffee with an 80 year old farmer, but that’s because at just 10 years old Trigg Pittman is a master lawn mower, farmer, stockman and all around ranching superstar. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, driving a pony chariot, water skiing,...
One of our summer children’s programs this year featured stories with the theme of “rock.” This story for all ages, inspired by Genesis and The Lion King, reminds us that we are all connected, all equally a part of creation from the beginning. We need reminding. In the beginning, the...
Steve Whittington has made over 40 summits in his climbing career, including Mt Everest in 2013, but when I asked him “who is Steve?” he didn’t label himself an elite alpinist, he said that first and foremost he’s a husband and father. To connect with Steve or to learn more...
Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and...