I know a man who rushed to early retirement at 50. His intention was to get out of the rat race as soon as possible, so he spent the first 30 years after college making a small fortune. It wasn’t an easy fortune.

Crime-and-punishment has been a relatively simple equation throughout history. Break a law, and you receive the due consequences.

How do you invite the God of All That Is into your home? If you were expecting God later this afternoon, what would you do to prepare?

“Be merciful, as god is merciful.” A brave idea, but who can do it? As pastoral people, we face a great temptation—especially in matters of moral complexity or emotional intensity—to forget that we have a mandate to be compassionate.

The Departed (2006) was a movie about how, in the battle between good and evil, the two sides often come to resemble each other. Martin Sheen, perhaps the closest thing to a righteous person in the story, has just made a choice to save someone that will cost him his life. He closes the door, takes a breath, and makes the sign of the cross instinctively and without drama. One door closes; another, we believe, swings wide on eternity.

Called by God. The idea used to make us shiver back in parochial school. As children, we imagined that only rare and special people got that call.

Mealtime is the best time for just about everyone. People may prefer Italian to Tex-Mex, vegan to omnivore, big portions to small, or dessert to the entrée, but just about everybody I know considers “time to eat” among the happiest words they hear all day.

Like the sacred trust a parent bears in raising a child to the light, the preacher bears the holy responsibility to bring God’s word to the assembly. Those who embrace this ministry know full well the heaviness of the task, as well as its astonishing sweetness.

What’s the main difference between the disciples before and after the Pentecost experience? No, it’s not the flames dancing on their heads, improved communication skills, or that wind-blown look. In a word, it’s courage.

“Jesus is coming soon.” We’ve seen these words or similar ones on sandwich boards, bumper stickers, and billboards. We hear them in church, too.