I have heard it said many times that the God of the Old Testament was one of vengeance, but the God of the New Testament is one of mercy. Many people struggle with these two seemingly opposite depictions of God. His very character comes into question. How could the same God who said, 'love your enemies' and 'turn the other cheek' also have commanded violence against other nations, including their infants and children?

It is often taught in Christian churches that Paul was the one who expanded the Christian movement beyond Judaism and to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people). While there is definitely some truth to this, it fails to recognize something really important that we find in the Old Testament.

I talk a lot on this blog about how Christianity in the United States has been infiltrated by white supremacy and Christian nationalism. Today there's another influence I want to focus on: the "American way."

My two boys would probably be embarrassed to know I am sharing this story...  Thing is, they like to sleep with a light on. Personally, I need it to be dark to sleep, but they have always wanted a night light... or two or three. Currently, they use a projector that casts stars on the ceiling of their room. Well, last week it died, so I got a new one online. I didn't realize it was fancier than their old one until it arrived. Not only did it cast stars, but also an array of colorful light. And, it plays music.

Reading the headlines nowadays, it’s so depressing, isn’t it? I hope it’s not just me. Seems like every day - multiple times a day - we’re hit with something.

Growing up, I had several teachers in school who talked about America as the "great melting pot." America, where immigrants were welcome. America, where our diversity made us beautiful.

This has been a tough week.

He struck again.

A couple of months ago, my middle schooler expressed to me that he thought following God was hard because there were so many rules. I said, Well, Jesus said all the rules in the Bible were summed up in just two: Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. So anytime you’re wondering what the right thing to do is, ask yourself, is this loving God? Is this loving others as I love myself? That is your guide.

For my final project in the Spiritual Formation class I am taking this semester, I was asked to come up with an essay or video explaining spiritual formation. I chose to compare our spiritual formation to the formation of a tree. When we come across a big, beautiful, mature tree, we never assume the tree appeared there out of nowhere fully grown. We know that trees start as tiny seeds that fall onto or are planted in good soil. In order to grow, seeds must have adequate sun and water. They must build strong roots. Some trees also need additional tending from a gardener.

A few weeks ago, I had coffee with a female pastor from my area. She told me that her church had become a refuge of sorts for people who have been hurt by religion. Some have been hurt by pastors or members of churches. Some are angry at how their faith has been hijacked by Christian Nationalism and far-right politics. Some are reeling from rejection by their conservative brothers and sisters in Christ. They grieve the days when you could open your news app and not be bracing yourself for whatever the bad news of the day would be.

In my spiritual formation class, we’ve been talking about suffering. My professor said that we should develop a theology of suffering, as this is an issue we'll be confronted with repeatedly in ministry.