Listen to the way Eugene Peterson translates Psalm 77 in The Message: I yell out to my God, I yell with all my might, I yell at the top of my lungs. He listens.I found myself in trouble and went looking for my Lord;my life was an open wound that wouldn’t heal.When friends said, ‘Everything…

Today’s gospel reading doesn’t make Jesus look like a very good recruiter. He’s turning away willing volunteers! What’s more, at first he seems to be discounting the value of home and family, the very things we hold most dear. “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Does following Jesus really mean becoming…

No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God. What kind of harsh statement is this? And exclusive, too. How about unrealistic? Undoable? Ridiculous? OK, maybe now we are getting carried away. But when you read this, do you have a nagging question in the…

No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Are there many people today who understand “what putting a hand to the plow” means? Does someone operating a machine instead of a hand-held plow understand the meaning of these words? Perhaps. The key seems to…

The cost of discipleship is the central theme of the Gospel text from Luke, chapter 9. In the text Jesus has “set his face towards Jerusalem.” He was journeying toward Jerusalem in order to fulfill God’s plan for his life, a plan that involves a cross and crucifixion on Calvary. As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem,…