A Pastor in The Northwest

Ah the human condition I was walking and praying this morning on my way to my church office when something dawned on me...Jacob wasn't so good. Further, he didn't seem to have a great relationship with God. In fact, I don't think his mother Rebekah was all that righteous either... Let me explain. In Genesis 27, good old Father Isaac is going down fast - unable to see. He then asks his favorite son Esau to go hunt for and prepare food so that he can give a final blessing and die.  This is the setup for the sketchy drama that leads to mom Rebekah working out a great cheat for her favorite son Jacob. It's sort of a sad, tragic portrayal of a messed-up family situation. To make it worse, this was my daily 'devotional' Bible passage. Ugh. Not many spiritual nuggets of wisdom there. Disgust maybe, but, a Word from the Lord? Not so much. Or is there? In contrast to human unfaithfulness stands the profound faithfulness of God. Undeserving Jacob gets the blessing and eve

On February 19, 1942, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese warplanes the previous December, US President Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order calling for the displacement of one hundred and twenty thousand Japanese Americans to internment camps. It took many decades for the US government to make a formal apology to the Japanese-American community. In 1988, then President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act to both apologize and compensate more than 100,000 people of Japanese descent who were incarcerated in internment camps. This decision followed a commission started in 1980 to investigate the injustice that was motivated by racial prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of leadership. May our history not repeat things like this. Lord have mercy on us and our sins. "Lord, keep us from fearfully persecuting the innocent among us. When we are tempted to use the cultural differences of our neighbors as excuses for injustice, convict us of our error. Keep us fro

I have really grown to appreciate the writing and ministry of the late Henri Nouwen. As I've been working through his books, I read this on the plane this past weekend from The Return of the Prodigal Son : pg. 79 Jesus says: "How blessed are you when you are poor...blessed are you who are hungry...blessed are you who are weeping...", but I am not poor, hungry, or weeping. Jesus prays: "I bless you Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things (of the kingdom) from the learned and the clever." It is to these, the learned and the clever, that I clearly belong. Jesus shows a distinct preference for those who are marginal in society - the poor, the sick, and the sinners - but I am certainly not marginal. The painful question that arises for me out of the Gospel is: "Have I already had my reward?" Jesus is very critical of those who "say their prayers standing up in their synagogues and at street corners for people to see them." Of

What are you reading? This is a question I often ask when meeting with people. I usually have my pencil and day planner handy to write down what they tell me. Why? Well, I want to know what stories and ideas people are resonating with so that maybe I could learn something new. Now, I know not everyone is a reader per se - polls seem to show about 17% of people don't read any books in a given year. However, I think there is always something to learn, so, now I ask a few more questions. For instance, I might ask about any podcasts someone is into, or, maybe a TV series or movie that someone is enjoying. Staying curious is a superpower. I think any time we can engage with other people and find out what is currently inspiring them can really enhance our own lives! There is so much to learn if we make the effort! So, what have you read, listened to, or watched recently? Ah, tell me more... PS I recently read John Grisham's follow-up to his popular novel The Firm titled The Exch