Category: Hope

The Banner That Unites Us. Lesson 4—Unity in The Kingdom of Heaven

Last week’s blog topic was understanding What is the Kingdom of Heaven? Today I want to talk about one of the most critical topics related to the Kingdom. Unity in the Kingdom. As a reminder here’s what we learned from Jesus’ words about the Kingdom as recounted by Matthew and a couple of other Gospel […]

The Banner That Unites Us. Lesson 4—Unity in The Kingdom of Heaven
The Banner That Unites Us. Lesson 2—From Highway D to Hope

The Banner That Unites Us. Lesson 2—From Highway D to Hope

Having grown up in northern Illinois, I have a permanent memory of certain highway route numbers and the roads they pertain to: Rt. 68, Dundee Road; Rt. 83, Elmhurst Road; Rt. 21 Milwaukee Road; Rt. 45, River Road, and so on. Wisconsin apparently has a different system, which is based largely on letters rather than […]

He Is For You

Right now I think it’s easy to wonder, Is God paying attention? What’s on his mind? The words, music and facial expressions in this powerful collaboration by dozens of churches in the UK provide and answer: He is for you. It’s the same message wherever we live. I encourage you to take a few minutes […]

He Is For You
Hope for 2011

Hope for 2011

Post from the Past: 9 years ago I wrote a post entitled Hope for 2011. As Beryl and I entered a new year once again I realized that the core message of this post still fits. On one level, I’m surprised that my hopes for 2020 remain much the same as 2011. But on a […]

Children of Light

We are entering the Season of Light, the Light Festival, the Christmas season when so much of the world decorates trees, wreathes, streetlamps, and even homes, with spectacular displays of light. Even those parts of the world that may not traditionally be Christian do so. There is an evident way in which the world loves […]

Children of Light
American Exceptionalism: Random Male Violence, Part II

American Exceptionalism: Random Male Violence, Part II

In my previous post, Random Male Violence, Part I I began to unravel the mystery of why the random violence we regularly encounter happens in the U.S. on a level unlike any other country. Our soul searching requires that we recognize that we are developing wounded males. But all countries have wounded males.

There’s another inescapable reason random mass slaughter happens within American borders so much more than anywhere else— the ease with which anyone, regardless of capabilities, mental health or training can get their hands on assault rifles—weapons of mass destruction. The solution to this issue has proven exceptionally difficult to find, but I don’t think there is any question that this is a central part of the problem.

American Exceptionalism: Random Male Violence, Part I

Once again we wrestle with piercing feelings of grief, bewilderment and anger. Yet again a young American male has unleashed his wrath against a vulnerable group of students. Our hearts ache, our heads shake and our minds reel. How can this keep happening? What can we do to make sure this never happens again?

We’re familiar with the spectrum of suggested causes as well as solutions—it’s a mental health issue, it’s a gun access issue, it’s a cultural issue. It’s all of those to some degree, but in my option it’s a horrific case of American Exceptionalism.

I love my country, but I really dislike the way that term is typically used. It implies that American culture is first and best, as if we’re all in a global competition for a mythical cultural gold medal. Having traveled to more than 60 countries over the years I’ve experienced qualities in every one of them that are admirable as well as unfortunate. Mine included.

American Exceptionalism: Random Male Violence, Part I
Our Spirits Groan

Our Spirits Groan

We see the news updates on our phones and can hardly believe what we are seeing. We turn on the TV and shake our heads, wordlessly, stunned at the carnage we once again witness in our broken world.

A morally lost 64 year-old man has killed more 50 and wounded more than 500 attenders of an outdoor concert in Las Vegas. He’d probably never met any of them. The audio of machine gun fire, along with the video of thousands running, crouching, weeping, is almost more than our hearts and minds can handle…

At Last!

“What was the highlight of 2016 for you?” our Christmas party host asked around the dinner table. Beryl and I had the same responses, “First, the birth of 5th granddaughter, Gemma. Very close after that…the Cubs winning the World Series!!”

“Really?” some asked. “A sports event was a highlight?” Clearly, they were not aware of the cosmic significance of the event. At least not of its impact on the Glass clan. Why did this rank as a highlight of the year? Because it was of far more significance than just another sports event. For these three reasons: