Contemplating Pentecost with Pastor Rob McPherson
I was recently interviewed by Pastor Rob McPherson from Davison United Methodist Church on his Visio Divina site, Art and Prayer. We talk about my Pentecost artwork and some of the insights I have gained as an artist. The session begins and ends with an interview,...
Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Why does Peacemaking always seem so elusive? We say we want it, but really hope is that someone else will do the heavy lifting. Someone else will admit that we were right all along. It seems we need to battle out all the other ways we might personally "win" over our...
Blessed are the Pure of Heart for they shall see God.
Those with “clean" or "pure" hearts are people who are healed and who are no longer distracted by worldly things, past hurts, or addictions. Very few of us qualify. I know I don't. Take heart...we are also people of Hope! Brokenness is part of our human story, but...
Blessed are the Merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Jesus the Christ came to this world to unbind us from sin and restore us with his Divine Mercy. He offers unconditional forgiveness for those who seek it. He has never once used his Godly power to beat a soul into submission. He usually asks sinners if they are hungry...
Teacher, is that you?
Encounter I was in my mid-30s before I finally heard—with my heart and not just my ears—the encounter of Mary Magdalene and the Risen Christ on Easter Morning. Mary is distraught after arriving at the tomb to find Jesus’ body gone (John 20:11-18). She sees a man, a...
Blessed are they who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness, for they shall be Satisfied.
Who should we blame for the state of the world? We revel in pointing out the proverbial splinter in our neighbor’s eye, believing it is up to us to enforce righteousness in others. But that is only self-righteousness, and not at all aligned with the God-given dignity...
Blessed are the Meek
One of the pillars of just about every religious tradition on earth is that of treating others as you would like to be treated. In a world with increasing violence towards those seen as disposable, it's worth revisiting this idea and pondering why it has been a...
Blessed Are They Who Mourn
Nobody wants to mourn. Let's face it, we do everything possible to distract ourselves from the uncomfortable. We sacrifice current Joy in fear of losses to be. We follow every medical fad that offers escape from our dreaded—and inevitable—death. We'll spend all kinds...
Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
It’s no accident that the "poor in Spirit" are named first in Jesus' list of those who are blessed (or, happy) in his Sermon on the Mount. The poor in Spirit are those of us who understand that it is better to turn to God in our lack and frailty than to succumb to...
Adoration
Advent is now my favorite liturgical season. It wasn't always that way. In fact, I'm not even sure I was aware of it's existence as a child, despite growing up in a Catholic household. Reflecting on my young adult self, I don't remember any awareness of womanhood as...
“Who Touched Me?” (The Woman with a Hemorrhage)
The story of Jesus encountering the woman with the hemorrhage (in Mark 5) is one of the many moments in bible history where Jesus shows his love and care for each and every one of us, even when (and maybe especially when) society brushes us aside as a nuisance. That...
Talitha Koum (Girl, Arise!)
Unlike the woman with a hemorrhage that Jesus had cured only moments before, this young girl (in Mark 5:21-43) had advocates. She had a family and a father who loved her. At only 12, she was on the verge of womanhood and the hopes of passing on the family name, wealth...