November 23, 2011
Psalm 77.1 [A psalm of Bob patterned after Psalm 77] 1 I feel the pressure that never ceases; I cannot escape. 2 I have no margin, no white space, no breathing room; Only the tyranny of to do. 3 I pray for balance but it never comes; The peace that passes all [...]
November 16, 2011
As I continue to mull my role in justice, I’m being reminded in all kinds of ways that I need to get over my Mr. Fix-it mentality. It’s my prayerless propensity to try to sort things out and muscle through on my own. The capper came a few moment ago while I was going through emails. [...]
November 9, 2011
I’ve learned a whole bunch of stuff recently while preparing for and delivering a sermon series on caring for the vulnerable. A big paradigm shift occurred for me when I discovered what many social justice practitioners already know: there are levels of need. Experts vary some on the levels and labels, but here’s the basic idea. The first [...]
November 2, 2011
In trying to care for the vulnerable, doing something with them is often more honoring than doing it for them. That’s essentially the message I got from three different sources recently. With not for. Over dinner with the founder and former head of the Department of Social Justice and Human Rights at Arizona State University, [...]
October 27, 2011
Last Sunday, I identified some motivations for doing justice or caring for the vulnerable from 1 John 4:7-21. 1) To be just is a thankful response to how God has loved me. 2) To be just is a condition for my fellowship with God. 3) To be just is a vital part of my job [...]
October 19, 2011
I’ve been thinking more lately about those who are vulnerable and powerless in our community. On Sunday, I studied through Matthew 10:25-37, the story of the Good Samaritan, and the main idea was: To be just is to care for the vulnerable. I see a couple of bothersome things in me as they relate to caring for the vulnerable. First, [...]
October 12, 2011
In the first 18 verses of the epistle of James, he introduces the primary topic of his letter: How to deal with tough times. Then in James 1:19, he provides a handy three-point outline for how to deal with tough times. He says, “. . . let every person be [first] quick to hear, [second] [...]
October 5, 2011
A pastoral colleague delivered a sermon on Sunday about being merciful based on Luke 6:27-38. In keeping with the text, he called me to “cross over” to be merciful to those on the other side of perceived lovability, the undeserving ones: enemies, haters, manipulators, abusers, the unthankful and evil. The reason? Because in reality, I am [...]
September 28, 2011
I’ve been thinking about the idea of fulfilling one’s God-given potential to serve. That’s the point of Matthew 25:14-30. It seems like a part of the process might be to whittle down my bloated to-do list to a smaller set of things that perhaps I am uniquely equipped or responsible to do. The smaller list would include things that would [...]
September 22, 2011
Virgil Johnson was like a father to me. He passed away yesterday morning. The sermon I preached just last Sunday seems so distant to me now. Thoughts of inviting God to apply it further to my life this week were hijacked by Virgil’s worsening condition and now his memorial service, at which I’m speaking this Saturday. I [...]
