Relating, Creating, Transforming
Matthew 5:38-48 Are you a perfectionist? A dictionary definition: a perfectionist is a person who refuses to accept any standard short of perfection. In psychology, perfectionism is a personality trait of a person who strives for flawlessness and sets excessively high performance standards, often accompanied by overly critical self-evaluations and deep concerns about how others […]
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Matthew 5:21-24; 33-37 So many labels. We are named this, that, the other thing. We are told what we are capable of or not capable of. And we bring all of these experiences into our relationships. We bring all of this into community. These labels, these stereotypes—they hinder us from fully expressing ourselves and sometimes […]
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Matthew 5:13-16 I’m not a big fan of bland food. If you are, no problem—no judgements. Everyone has different tastes and certainly, what you grew up eating affects your taste buds. But for me, I like strong flavors in food. I gravitate towards spicy and tangy curries and sauces, a wide variety of chili peppers, […]
Read MoreMatthew 5:1-12 What do I do now? How can I be a kind, loving, and authentic person in this moment? Pertinent and difficult questions. You see, I can only imagine what it was like for the more than half a million people who participated in the women’s march on Washington D.C. last Saturday, January, 21st, […]
Read MoreMatthew 25:14-30 Let’s keep it simple. This Matthew parable is often talked about in Christian circles, but very rarely understood. So let’s keep it simple: What would you do with a bag of money? Does that sound like a weird question to be asking? Actually, it isn’t all that strange. I’m sure at one point […]
Read MoreMatthew 25:1-13 Question: in your experience, what is the most difficult thing to wait for? Today’s parable story in Matthew is a story about waiting. But admittedly, it’s a weird story, and its characters seem outdated. We’re not really used to hearing about virgins or bridesmaids ushering a groom to his wedding. First century marriage […]
Read MoreMatthew 5:1-12 NRSV Halloween is a time of year that brings back many memories for people. And if you are one of those who gives out candy to kids who come to your door, then probably every year you remember when you dressed up and carried a bag that would eventually fill up with a […]
Read MoreMatthew 22:15-22 Lions and tigers and bears—oh my! But in this case, it’s money and religion and politics—oh my! Yes, that’s right. It’s time to talk about these SCARY things. It IS almost Halloween, after all. Let’s talk about money, first, which leads to politics, which leads to religion! Jesus of Nazareth probably wouldn’t be […]
Read MoreMatthew 21:23-32 I was in the church office last Sunday facilitating a wedding planning meeting when one of the children from the church burst in the room. He politely stopped in the doorway, though, and asked me a question: Is there a door that leads to outside? Let me explain how the office is set […]
Read MoreMatthew 20:1-16 I have mentioned before that four-year-olds ask the most questions…and constantly. Their brains are built to ask questions, and so they do. As we get older, though, for some reason, we ask less questions. And sadly, many of us stop asking questions altogether. But let’s not do that as we read scripture. Let’s […]
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