the God of transitions

i recently offered these words to our community in berkeley on university sunday, honoring our college graduates. we’re in a lot of in-between seasons, aren’t we? we’re in the fourth week of easter, between Jesus’s resurrection on easter sunday and His ascension. and we’re celebrating university sunday this weekend, the end of so many undergrad […]

Bible Study Magazine: Which Bible Translation is Most Reliable?

after a conversation with a university student in berkeley who was asking about which bible translation we use in our worship gatherings, and why, i wrote the following words for bible study magazine: it was late in the afternoon on an already long day when a university student asked me about bible translations. i’ve returned […]

easter sunrise: good news beyond words

technically, since easter isn’t just one day, but 50 days, these words aren’t late. here’s what i shared for our community in berkeley as we gathered before sunrise to celebrate the hope of resurrection. recently i woke to a headline on my phone—maybe you had the same experience—my phone buzzing, excited to announce the first […]

God’s fast of choice: repairers of the breach

here are the words i shared recently with our church community in berkeley, for an ash wednesday service, marking the start of lent. sitting with this evening’s text for the past few weeks, a question keeps coming to my mind: “is God a religious none”? for the past few years, headlines have expressed an increasing […]

on how to clean a crab

to borrow a line from the poet scott cairns, let’s pretend for now that there is no such thing as metaphor. you know, the ocean will just be the ocean, crabs will no longer have to be anything but crustaceans. we are walking with friends along a pier in halfmoon bay, two young couples with […]

listening is our act of love

how do we create conversations that matter? in a world of small talk, how do we go deeper? and, how did c.s. lewis do this well—creating conversations that have lasted more than 50 years after his death? those are the questions i was asked to speak on in portland last september. here’s how i answered… […]

when the bible doesn’t have the answer: responding to mental illness

when i was running up against a deadline for my contribution to the ongoing “when the bible doesn’t have the answer” feature in bible study magazine, struggling with what to write on, i asked my community here in berkeley. one of them suggested writing on scripture and mental illness. having walked beside several loved ones and, […]

all who hunger: food that endures

words i shared recently with our university ministry community in berkeley, for a series titled, “all who hunger.” i’ve known that I wanted to wrap up on this particular hunger since we started back in august. tonight’s theme is at the heart of what Jesus is talking about in john 6, the chapter we’ve been sitting […]

God’s great inside joke

a sermon i offered recently for the community at first presbyterian church of berkeley, based on luke 6:27–36: “but I say to you that listen, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. if anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the […]

all who hunger: rest

i recently shared these words with our university ministry community in berkeley, for a series titled, “all who hunger.” if you haven’t been with us, welcome. we’ve been having some conversations this fall in a series we’re calling, “all who hunger,” where we’ve been asking, what are our deepest hungers? what are those hungers driving us? […]