1 Kings 21:1-21 I don’t know if Elijah loved his job, but I have my doubts. Who could love a job where you have to constantly haul yourself over to the worst king in the history of Israel and confront him with bad news? He might not have loved his job, but he was good at it. He had to be the best because he was dealing with the worst. Ahab was bad enough on his own, but everything was made worse by the fact of Jezebel, his foreign bride. She worshiped strange gods – the Baals, as they are sometimes called – and had strange ideas about the powers of royalty. In other lands in those days, including Jezebel’s homeland, kings had unlimited powers. They could take whatever they wanted to take. And so, it seemed mighty peculiar to Jezebel to find Ahab sulking on his bed like a […]
Continue readingMonth: June 2019
God’s Intervention, Part 1: The Power of Love
Acts 2:1-21 In my middle year of seminary, I participated in a required cross-cultural experience: a planned three-week trip to another country, someplace that is guaranteed to pull you out of your comfort zone; its primary purpose is to offer students a greater perspective on how faith intersects with culture. The cross-cultural trip might be to India, South Africa, Israel, Guatemala – in my year it was Cuba. There we were kept busy for three weeks traveling around the island meeting with local government officials and church leaders, touring their big medical school and a farming cooperative, and visiting lots of churches. We visited churches of all kinds – Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Pentecostal. From impressive cathedrals to tiny storefronts. One Sunday morning when we were in a city called Ciego de Avila, we managed a double-header. Two congregations had invited us to worship, so our group split up […]
Continue readingFree
Acts 16:16-34 Father Gregory Boyle is a Jesuit priest who serves the people of Los Angeles. He works in the poorest neighborhoods with the highest gang activity in a city that is considered the capital of gang activity. His parish is the epicenter of hopelessness. To be born in such a place is not really any different than to be born in prison. The likelihood that a boy born in these neighborhoods will spend time in prison is almost certain – if he lives long enough. Father Greg spends a lot of time visiting the jails, the detention centers, handing out his business cards. He tells them all to look him up when they get out. He knows they will need his help when they get out. He has been doing this for more than 30 years. He started a tattoo removal service early on because of a young man […]
Continue reading
