“For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is near. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us walk decently as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in illicit sex and […]
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34) The words of Jesus, spoken from the cross, and scheduled to be read this Sunday as part of our celebration of the Feast of Christ the King, which is a celebration that many in the church approach with hesitation. Some Protestants view it as too Catholic,
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
Christ, the Dictator! Read More »
“Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) This is not my favourite verse in the Bible. Indeed, it’s right up there with “God helps those who help themselves” and “Why don’t you get a haircut and get a real job?”, neither of which are actually in the Bible, of course, but this one is: “Anyone unwilling to work
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
Fed by Grace. Called to Labour. Read More »
The glory of this present house—however humble—may yet surpass all that came before (Haggai 2:9)
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
The Future is Sacred Read More »
“When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’” (Luke 19:5) I first met Zacchaeus in Sunday School. We sang about him – “Zacchaeus was a very little man” – and I imagined a comical figure, picked on for his height,
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
Before the Empire Falls! Read More »
“Jesus told them another joke, and He told this one to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. ‘Did you hear the one about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector who came to the Temple at the same time to pray?’ (Luke 18:9-10) It’s a classic setup: two natural antagonists in close
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
God, Be Merciful to Me! Read More »
“Then Jesus told them a joke about their need to pray always and not to lose heart…” (Luke 18:1) You’ll forgive me, I hope, for translating the Greek word ‘parabole’ here as ‘joke’, but I do believe Jesus was being tongue-in-cheek when he told this story. I’m not the first to think so. John Dominic Crossan, cofounder of ‘the Jesus Seminar’,
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
Crazy Things Jesus Told Us to Do! Read More »
“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’s feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:15-16) A word jumped to mind for me when I read these words – “Intersectionality”. You may not know the term, and
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
The Cry of the Excluded Read More »
“The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.” (Lamentations 3:19-20) Does that sound familiar? We might not use the same words as the prophet Jeremiah—“my affliction is wormwood and gall”—but I suspect we’ve all experienced that same debilitating level of mental
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
An Encounter with Mercy Read More »
So let us listen. Let us learn. Let us repent, and let us rise!
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
