Why doesn’t God help all people who are suffering or in need?
There are people who are helping to alleviate suffering and to supply what is truly needed by others. We need to understand that the usual way to receive help is through other people. This does not take away from the divine nature of the help. We are called to be Christ’s hands and feet. We […]
Thanksgiving, Hopefulness and Faith
This is the time of year when preachers spout platitudes. Many phrases about gratitude and thankfulness are superficial and trite, and are used too often. To some the platitudes of thanksgiving can seem downright cruel. It is cruel to tell someone they ought to be thankful when they are being abused physically, emotionally and sexually. […]
First Things First
I don’t know if it happens to you, but toward the end of every year as we enter giving season, my mailbox is flooded with requests for help. Then in wet and cold winters like this one, I become more acutely aware of how terrible it must be out in the wet and the cold […]
Kaleidoscopes
Beautiful panes of colored glass seem to be perfection. Without flaws, the colors stand apart. Then it all breaks. What can we do with broken glass? We hate the idea of brokenness. We fear that whatever caused the breakage may be repeated. What can we do when what was flawless and self-contained is shattered? This is […]
Beyond the Crises
As I sighed at yet another example of fear mongering in political campaigns, I realized that churches are as guilty of it as political parties. We can go from crisis to crisis as a management style, using doom and gloom to motivate. Crises create anxieties. Anxieties look for crises as justifications for their existence. It becomes a cannibalistic […]
Ask the Pastor: How can we find healing and hope in troubled times?
Up front please understand I can only give a first aid level answer here. Deep hurts will need specialized care. We are connected to all life. When we experience troubles we feel disconnected. Life for us is not as it should be. We want and need it to be whole again. We cannot be whole […]