Dreams keep coming. Joseph is instructed to go to the pagan land of Egypt for Herod, true to form, has instituted genocide in Bethlehem. Herod’s set the threat level to “orange”—he can’t handle the presence of the baby in his kingdom. The people and places that should welcome God, do not. The people (Magi) and places [...]

The Bible knows of the human affection for showdowns.
After Jesus had already been born, pagan magicians came to one of the most powerful men in the world, Herod the Great (King Herod) and ask “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have [...]

I’m preparing for a four-week series at Otter Creek called Collision. In this series, we are exploring the way in which Jesus’ birth ushers in a collision between the realm of God (traditionally known as heaven) and the realm of humanity (earth).
In preparing for this first teaching (”Crazy John”) I’ve been doing research into the beliefs [...]

As I am preparing to preach/teach on Mary’s Song this weekend, I am reading these words that came to me last Advent.
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Advent reminds us that when God came among us in Jesus, he did not come as a ghost, hologram, vision, or media stunt. He came to us through a teenage girl not properly married. [...]

Advent reminds us that when God came among us in Jesus, he did not come as a ghost, hologram, vision, or media stunt. He came to us through a teenage girl not properly married. God came to us, not in the pomp and circumstance of royalty, but in the humility of a working class commoner. [...]

James McBride wrote a book about his mother, capturing the hearts of many readers. The Color of Water is a tribute to Ruth McBride Jordan who raised twelve children on her own in the Red Hook Housing Projects of Harlem, New York. “As a boy . . . James knew his mother was different. But [...]