I drove to church in a tumult of tears and anger. It was Holy Week and I woke up to devastating news from our sister churches in Egypt. During their Palm Sunday services, two Coptic cathedrals were bombed by the Islamic State in Egypt.   Egypt is my homeland; it… Read More

What’s the greatest gift a loved one could give you? Flowers, an engagement ring, a day to relax? Perhaps words that convey how much you mean to them? Whether you’re single or happily in a relationship this Valentine’s Day, you have a wide-ranging collection of love letters right at your… Read More

“Now, you shepherds, listen to what I, the LORD, am telling you.” Ezekiel 34:7 delivers a hard message to the leaders of Israel. In the midst of their neglect and abuse, God spoke. Loudly. “As surely as I am the living God, you had better listen to me.” The very… Read More

Most of us haven’t experienced extreme persecution for our faith, but we have felt abandoned by God. Where was God during the harrowing grief following the loss of a loved one? Where was God during the agony of joblessness, barrenness, or loneliness? Where was God in the dark throes of… Read More

When I was growing up my family loved going to the stage production Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We made it a multigenerational event—grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings. My family lined up in theater seats, young and old, outnumbering Jacob and his twelve sons. As a child,… Read More