Before Maundy Thursday a poem for April 1, 2026

Good afternoon to the green leaf buds sprouting life up through the cracks in the asphalt and into the world that God loves…

Hey friends! This Sunday we'll share a new original song in worship (as we also celebrate a baptism, too!) that is drawn from Colossians 3:1-4 and the Good News that we are joined to Jesus' death and resurrection. Check it out here if you're interested! mercymovesus.bandcamp.com/track/raised...

It's not that the way of the cross is unclear or uncertain--we just do not like it. And we look for any alternative voice to listen to that will let us rationalize to ourselves the old patterns of self-interest. Paul calls us out to walk the way of Jesus. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/04/lett...

When the early church had the choice to stay safe and comfortable on the one hand or get into holy trouble and share their abundance so that others could eat on the other hand, they kept choosing--by the Spirit's direction--to be holy troublemakers and audaciously generous. youtu.be/FWgGl3P1LXM

Any time we give into "Me and My Group First" thinking, we are distorting and demeaning the fullness of humanity within us. And for whatever else Jesus has done for us, at the very least Jesus has come to recover our lost humanity for us. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/03/huma...

Good afternoon to the raindrops clinging to the bowed heads of pale daffodils watching the western sky for more rain to fall on the world that God loves…

Hey friends! We have a new episode of "Crazy Faith Talk" out to check out as we conclude our Lenten series on discipleship, "What Are We Called To?" Listen in here! open.spotify.com/episode/5SxV...

You are beloved in all of your you-ness. Just saying. In case you needed to hear it.

When we become more fully able to love and trust God completely, it changes our relationships to other people, and to our possessions. We can be content with the people and things given to us, and we can actively help our neighbor in caring for their belongings as well. youtu.be/OKyoVs0k78w

At no point in any of the Holy Week storytelling does Jesus say he needs his followers to go into battle to defend him or advance his interests, because Jesus actually trusts that God will accomplish the necessary vindication, and on God's terms. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/03/a-go...

Good morning to the blossoms in conversation with one another as a new day unfolds in the world that God loves…

In this week, we retrace the story of Jesus' washing his disciples' feet, protecting them in the Garden, standing bravely before Pilate, and laying down his life on the cross. And we dare to believe this is what God is like. Join us this Holy Week. youtu.be/ixt4Vu3S5XQ

God's way is ultimately to exhaust evil of its ammunition, to outlast its fury, and to refuse to retaliate in kind, rather than to perpetuate its rottenness. God--and God's Chosen One--will not succumb to becoming monstrous in the name of fighting monsters. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/03/god-...

Good afternoon to the mourning doves who have found our feeder to be a comfortable place to perch in between the laments they sing for the world that God loves…

Good morning, also, to the sun rising behind the tree line of the pines behind the church as the light returns to this part of the world that God loves…

Good morning to the spider building a web in the closet, who trembled when I came close, reminding me of the creaturely interconnectedness of all things in the world that God loves…

Good afternoon to the leaf buds beginning to emerge from the tips of branches that have been sleeping all winter and waiting for the return of spring to this part of the world that God loves…

In the space of one week, Jesus shows us what God’s Reign looks like: riding a borrowed donkey instead of a war horse; washing feet instead of demanding tribute; praying forgiveness for his executioners instead of swearing revenge; rising from the dead instead of letting the grave get the last word.

"Make the tomb as secure as you can." Those are the final words Pilate speaks after Jesus' body is laid in a grave, spoken with unquestioned conviction that nothing can contradict the empire--but of course, we know differently. The living God reserves the right to the get the last word.

Good morning to the texture in the sky above the world that God loves…

Prayer for a Thursday Evening a poem for March 26, 2026

Good afternoon to the shadows of the tree branches running down like roots into the ground of the world that God loves…

Good afternoon to the crocuses outside the church, offering their Lenten purple as a seasonal gift to the world that God loves… 

We are wholly dependent on a God who is willing to take the first step, to call us out onto the dance floor while we are still bashful wallflowers up against the bleachers, and to call us into motion by name when we are frozen stiff. That's the God we have. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/03/laid...

Good morning to the eastern sky on the way to church, as the sun climbs over the horizon and shines onto the world that God loves… 

May your Bow Tie Thursday be a blessed one, rain or shine…

We grieve over every death, never celebrating anyone's dying, because Jesus has shown us that there are tears streaming down God's face as well. We cannot help but see God in every place of suffering in all of human history--Jesus shows us this about God. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-...

Good afternoon to the red maple buds bursting out of long dormant branches waiting for spring to come to this part of the world that God loves…

When a paralyzed man is healed in Jesus' name and the crowd is looking for an explanation, Peter points to Jesus. This is God's unfolding plan to restore and heal the whole universe, and it is happening through the crucified and risen Jesus, not the dominating power of empire. youtu.be/kWxa1-lM8IM

Jesus knows the difficult truth that sometimes there are no quick fixes, and sometimes healing will only come through tears, grief, and that feeling of powerlessness against which all struggle. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-...

Hey friends! This week's new episode of Crazy Faith Talk, our weekly podcast, is out. Listen in here! In this conversation, we'll explore how Paul's life story, journeys, and writing give us a glimpse of the kind of life we are called to as well! open.spotify.com/episode/40eQ...

As we keep digging into the Commandments, we learn that loving others IS how we love God, and that we are called not only to avoid hurting others, but to actively help and care for one another, from the speed limit in the school zone to the stranger at the street corner. youtu.be/ydXNT_EynEA

It dawned on me that we humans that create might be the last ones. Some archaic thing from the past. Drawing, painting, designing, writing and more that’s actually done with our own minds and hands will either be seen as a luxury just for the solute or something only the poor do, like caveman art.

Good morning to the buds on a tree in the neighborhood as the eastern sky lightens into warm shades of color over the world that God loves…

The Dinner Guests a poem for March 23, 2026

Good afternoon to the junco and the robin sharing a drink from the same water before each goes its own way into the world that God loves…

God's work to save us doesn't depend on our being bright enough to request it, good enough to earn it, or pious enough to invite Jesus into our hearts first. We need a God who redeems even before we realize we need redemption. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/03/with...

From the loud celebratory cheers of the crowd on Palm Sunday to the silent abandonment of the disciples by Thursday night and the angry accusations from the religious and political powers, Jesus remains constantly centered on God's purpose and faithful self-giving love for us. youtu.be/7hr1xOiFHgY

Word for the Week: (drawn from Matthew 21:1-11) The world expects a conqueror on a war horse, but Jesus comes into town on a borrowed donkey. #WordForTheWeek

Good evening to the flaming katy blossoming in the window of my office and reflected in the glass that opens out onto the world that God loves…

We are most in closest [and most honest] relationship with God when we abandon all arrogance and pretense and let ourselves be surprised by the ways God's strong love does the impossible. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/03/lett...

Good afternoon to the hyacinths that have opened themselves to the world that God loves…

Good afternoon to the seed pods lying in the neighbors’ yard like hedgehogs curled up in the grass on a walk through the world that God loves…

Oxymorons a poem for March 21, 2026

Good afternoon to the robin paying its respects at the cemetery where both of us find one another of all the places we could be in the world that God loves…

A friendly reminder from the apostle Paul... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom. 12:21)

Good afternoon to the chorus of crocuses singing an anthem in gold from beneath a yew that grows in the world that God loves…

Good day to the moment the bird got up from its perch on the wire and flew off into the world that God loves…

Belonging in the community called "church" is not an exclusive club for people who know the right password, but a gathering of outcasts, misfits, and lost sheep whose hope doesn't hang on getting the answers right but on having been found by the Shepherd. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/03/on-b...