“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
“Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.” (Luke 16:3) I don’t know if you’ve ever been in this position. I have. You’d been in a good job for a
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
Can You Serve Two Masters? Read More »
There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
“I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.” (Philemon 10-12) You may not be familiar with these
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
The Power of TRUTH Read More »
“Let mutual affection continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them, those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.” (Hebrews 13:1-3) Hi Fighter, We’re in the
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
I Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You! Read More »
