Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’

The Thread

Jesus is the thread I cling to and follow, winding through the jungle and the rocky bare places and the pain and the confusion. The pain in my gut — familiar anxiety, sadness, grief, fear – winds through my life from childhood. He came alongside thirty years ago and we wind along together...

September 8th, 2012 | Poetry | Read More

Of “Lights” and Soul-Liberation (Confessions From a Real-Life Journey Moment)

“Honey, thou dost protest too much, methinks,” says my wife frequently. Oh, she’s not always so Shakespearean about it, but she does say essentially that. Denial is a funny thing. Refusing to accept the truth about your own self often leads to projecting your loathing upon others. Plus, it’s...

September 6th, 2012 | Arts, Essays, Music | Read More

O Lord of All Matter

Would your glory fill the whole earth. Would it fill the ENTIRE EARTH, the ENTIRE EARTH, Lord Jesus. Would your Spirit move all things around. Would your Spirit rustle everything – Shuffle everything back to brand new. Would you rearrange each atom So that it embodies the essence Of your Pure And...

August 26th, 2012 | Poetry | Read More

Enough Songs About Jesus

Don’t get me wrong. I love Jesus. Singing about Jesus is fine. I’m just not sure we can crank out good songs about Jesus as quickly as we think we can. I should mention that (a) I’ve written a fair number of songs about Jesus myself and (b) none of them was particularly good. It may, in fact,...

August 17th, 2012 | Becoming the Great Us, Columns | Read More

Anwar Al-Awlaki: Eye for an Eye, or a Third Way?

I’ve been reflecting on the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, an Al Qaida leader operating from Yemen, by American forces. A friend asked me if the fact that al-Awlaki was American-born had any impact on how I felt about his death. Those who have followed the story likely realize that this...

August 7th, 2012 | Social Justice | Read More

An Open Letter to Chick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy

NOTE: This was written a day prior Chick-Fil-A made the public statement that their tradition “is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.” What a wonderful statement! However, I still believe this...

July 25th, 2012 | Blog, Essays | Read More

Convergence: A Parable by Michael D. Bobo

A stranger appears in Greenstone, a small mid-American town, whose presence evokes images of Jesus in first century Nazareth. Could this be another Messiah? Is this stranger worth listening to – even following? Inevitably the religious establishment struggles with his miracle working power. The stranger...

July 24th, 2012 | Books, Essays | Read More

How to Satisfy Jesus (via the Gospel of Elvis)

I wish I had a nickle for every time God spoke to me through Elvis. Like Elvis’ song “A Little Less Conversation”: A little less conversation, a little more action please; All this aggravation ain’t satisfactionin’ me; A little more bite and a little less bark; A little less fight and...

June 13th, 2012 | Culture, Democracy | Read More

Jesus takes the SATs

After the scores of exhausted high schoolers slump out of a mind-miring SAT testing session rubbing their temples and flopping their calloused hands, the masses of SAT essays are scanned and distributed electronically to readers (often teachers) across the country. After these exhausted teachers...

May 30th, 2012 | Essays, Featured | Read More

The Church and the New Civil Rights Movement (Ode to Dick Brogan)

Richard “Dick” Brogan was a personal friend, and he was one of my heroes. Dick was a white Mississippi Baptist minister who worked tirelessly to build relationships between whites and blacks during segregation and even up until he passed away last year. Not so long ago, Dick was followed, harassed,...

May 14th, 2012 | Blog, Columns, Democracy, Essays, Family | Read More