The open question at the end of the book is “Will Jonah actually change?” The book doesn’t tie things up in a nice tidy bow, but leaves things hanging with a question that must be answered by both Jonah and also ourselves. God asks us, “And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?” Continue reading Under the Gourd Vine
“To be forgiven is only half the gift. The other half is that we also can forgive, restore and liberate.” Marilynne Robinson Continue reading The Gift of Forgiveness
What happens you make false assumptions that keep you from seeing the beauty around you?
I once spent a disappointed winter mistaking goldfinches at my feeder for sparrows. However, with time and patience I finally perceived their true nature. Continue reading The Goldfinch in Winter
God’s commandments have more in common with commitments than you might think. The Ten Commandments begins with a reminder of God’s love. In a sense when God commands us to love him and to love others he’s putting an invitation into our hands. He stands before us not with a lightning bolt, but with the open and pierced hands of Jesus. Continue reading Commandments and Commitments
Jesus doesn’t call us to benevolent indifference, he calls us to passionate love. Jesus died on the cross so that we might have life and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10) and Jesus expects us to pass this abundant life on to others. Continue reading “Live and Let Live?” Or “Live and Let’s Give?”
Sometimes the best thing that we can do is to let ourselves feel our tears. When we let them flow, they have a way of cleansing and healing the hurt in our hearts. Continue reading Feeling the Tears on Your Face
From an early age, my father instilled in me a love of sacred music. As children we attended church every … Continue reading Learning to Sing at My Father’s Side
This is an invitation for new readers to consider following my blog. Here are four samples of posts from the first year of Musings and Wonderment” Continue reading Happy Birthday to Musings and Wonderment
Some thoughts on John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Over 45 years ago, my younger brother, Brad, … Continue reading Being the Best Man
How you perceive things depends on your perspective. For my mother, porcupine meatballs were a reminder of hard times. For me,they are a comfort food and a reminder of love. Continue reading Porcupine Meatballs and Love
Making you think
exploring ideas - inspired by texts - expressed in images
Hannah's daily devotional
Sharing tidbits of my world
"Diamonds are found only in the dark places of the earth; truths are found only in the depths of thought." (Victor Hugo, Les Miserables)
Searchings: Sacred and Secular
Deb Mechler
Writing Down The Bones
Explorations in Practical Theology and Youth Ministry
The Middle Ages in the Modern World
moments of illumination along the journey of life
Impressions Becoming Expressions
Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. -- Chinese Proverb
