You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed. (Psalm 10:17) This week I am in El Salvador for my third trip with a group of folks to help build homes through a partnership between Thrivent Financial Services and Habitat for Humanity. Mostly I read books to the kids who always show up to help with the construction projects. If […]

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult I gave up childish ways. (1 Cor. 13:11) When I was a child my mother was friends with a woman her age and that woman’s mother. I no longer remember their names, but I do remember spending time at their home. They fed me great treats while they visited. I […]

The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:34 It’s hard to imagine a Christmas season without Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Yet, had his family been denied entrance into the United States, as many are today, we would not have this classic movie. […]

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! (Zephaniah 3:14-20) The ancient people of Israel were living in exile, under the rule of foreign rulers, when the prophet Zephaniah spoke these words of encouragement to people who weren’t in a singing mood. George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life” knew what that was like. He was at the end of his rope. Singing was the […]

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. 1 Timothy 6:10 Ebenezer Scrooge is perhaps the best-known example of a miser who let his love of money destroy his relationships with his fiancé, his nephew, and his life-long business partner Jacob Marley. Charles Dickens’ much-loved A Christmas Carol has been […]