Journal

Tag: Love

Grace: God’s Love Language

“Don’t the Bible say we must love everybody?” “O, the Bible! To be sure, it says a great many things; but then, nobody ever thinks of doing them.” — Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin Whether you are a new follower of Jesus, or have been one for many...

The Tangible Love of Christ in Lent

Fifteen years ago my wife Peggy and I had the incredible opportunity of spending two weeks with Dallas Willard and a community of brothers and sisters at the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.  As that week progressed we were given...

The Source of Love

Theologians, philosophers, ethicists, romantic poets, betrayed spouses, dreamy-eyed teenagers and cynical adults, the hopeful and the hopeless have all asked, and are still asking, “What is love?” Whether we know how to define it or not, love is what most of us are...

Health and Mercy

“The most important thing in the life of every man and every woman is not that they should never fall along the way.  The important thing is always to get back up, not to stay on the ground licking your wounds.” -Pope Francis A few weeks ago, following a series of...

A Letter from God

Our friend Jay Jakub found this awhile back and was kind enough to pass it on. How encouraging! How true! My Child, You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2 I am familiar with all your...
God Loves You… No, Really!

God Loves You… No, Really!

Recently, I had another all too familiar conversation with a man preparing for a retreat at Corhaven. He said, “Even though I’ve been a Christian for many years and heard a hundred sermons on this, I have a hard time accepting God’s love for me. If I had to climb 10...

Praise God!! Fifteen Years Later…

In 1997, some old friends and those who would become old friends hosted the Emerging Urban Leaders Summit in Washington DC, with the help of Re:generation Quarterly, The Falls Church, and Leadership Network.  We wanted to name and capitalize on the fact that God was...

A Marathon vs. A Sprint

The long, tedious work of love in the ordinary is what the work of justice most needs.  So said another old friend, Gary Haugen, who spoke this morning.  His talk opened by reflecting on the problem that remains:  27 million people in slavery…more than New York,...

What Is Justice, Anyway?

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard the word ‘justice’ already, well… The effect of so much attention on one topic from so many different angles can hurt the head, and it makes me ask, “OK, now just what are we talking about again?  And just what is...