This week at a Phoenix pastor’s meeting, a Lenten devotion turned into a discussion about how a pastor can fairly and honestly lead a congregation to think critically about politics as the country barrels towards the November election. One pastor said he was thinking about having a Christian politician come and speak to his congregation,Continue reading "During Lent We Understand the Purpose and Power of the Cross"

When I was in high school I worked at a Texaco gas station. One summer day a friend came by the station and asked if I wanted to “make a little extra money fast.” It was a job occasionally cleaning out semi-trailers that hauled cattle. You can smell it already, can't you? To check itContinue reading "The wonder and the vulgarity of Christmas"

It wasn’t until I was grown that I remember hearing the word Advent. Advent is the four Sundays before Christmas. The “Advent story” of my faith tradition was full of angels, shepherds, wise men, a bright star shining on a dark night and Santa at the church door handing out bags of candy after theContinue reading "Don’t lose hope during Advent"

One early December day when I was 8, I was hanging out at my Dad’s office after school. It wasn’t long before my squirrely behavior kept him from doing his work. He finally stood up from his desk chair, reached into his pocket, and handed me a few coins. “Go next door and see ifContinue reading "The Accidental Advent Gift and How Advent Gift Giving Became a Family Tradition"

(In chapter 20 of my memoir Leaving the Land of Numb, published on Amazon this last July [2023], I tell the story of how I met Jimmy, the ubiquitous boy at the St. John's Catholic student center's Newman Hall on the University of Illinois campus. For several years that cafeteria essentially became my campus ministryContinue reading "The Thanksgiving in 1985 I will never forget"

In my memoir published this summer I tell the story of my very first job. At 14, I was too young to do the job. It ended with the boss telling me I was the only guy who ever worked for him that he could not teach to do the job. I forgave the manContinue reading "This World is in Desperate Need of Forgiveness and Reconciliation"

In my counseling sessions, the conversation often moves toward the connection between our emotional and spiritual lives. The two are linked inseparably. You cannot be spiritually healthy if you are emotionally unhealthy. In fact, it is the central point of my new memoir called “Leaving the Land of Numb—A Journey to Connect My Emotional AndContinue reading "The happiest people in the world are the most grateful"

At the end of the summer of my first job when I was still just 14, the boss said to me rather derisively, “Well, I think we’re both glad this summer is over. I tried to teach you, but you’re the first boy who has ever worked for me that I couldn’t teach to doContinue reading "Forgiving those who sin against you starts with compassion"