Some storms in life are predictable, but many are not—failing health, global threats, relational discord, and dysfunctional leadership. I broke off an engagement many years ago because I was unwilling to...

I received one of the biggest ministry lessons of my life when my mother died. Arriving at her hospice bedside just a few hours before our final goodbyes, I quickly realized...

For many people, “blood is thicker than water” describes the depth of their family ties, often set within highly hierarchical structures that are expected to be preserved even when they promote...

When I was a seminarian, I was part of a church-planting team in North Philadelphia that understood incarnational ministry as doing life with people on their terms. Before we had the...

At my undergraduate reunion, an alumna I had not seen since graduation said that seeing me reminded her of a song I had sung. I didn’t remember singing it, but her...

Holding a beloved position in one’s family can come at a hefty price, and the upside does not automatically outweigh the downside. Today’s passage introduces the account of Jacob and his...

At the height of his ministry, Jesus travels throughout Galilee sharing the gospel of love, peace, and justice with all sorts of people. It won't be long before the crowds will...

Have you lived your life according to the ethos of “never enough”? Many of us have. In some ways, it is true. We go to bed feeling there is always more...

For the apostle Paul, following Jesus meant cutting himself off from all he had known prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus. As he writes in his letter to...

Paul speaks from a place of “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” as he realizes that his commitment to the truth of the gospel has separated him from his own people and...