Around this time of year, it always feels like there’s a lot of “looking ahead” going on. Students are completing their academic years and they are looking ahead to whatever comes next. If they are graduates, then they are
Don’t Go Changing to Try and Please Me
When I was a kid, my family’s “love language” was food. As Italian-Americans, food was a focal point for our gatherings. Italian food—pizzas, pastas, breads, etc.—tend to have a lot of calories and carbohydrates. And Italian foods were our
I Love You, You Love Me
Back in the 1990s, a children’s television program took the United States by storm. Barney, a big, purple tyrannosaurs rex, won over the hearts of toddlers across the country. In his television program, Barney & Friends, Barney sang, danced,
‘Til Death do Us Part
Have you ever noticed that priests and other members of the clergy traditionally wear black clothing? In the old days, it was actually quite common to see a priest walking around town wearing a long black robe called a
Which Rules Can be Broken?
At this point in our pastoral relationship, you’re probably not surprised to hear this: I’m a bit of a rule breaker. I enjoy having fun with the rules and I enjoy pushing boundaries a little bit. Not because I’m
When is Justice Unjust?
At the very moment I’m writing this, the state of Arizona was supposed to be taking Aaron Gunches from a surveillance cell at Florence Prison into a different room. In that second room, he was scheduled to be strapped
Forty Days of Aloha (And Gratitude!)
As I’ve been writing daily reflections during Lent, I’m hopeful you’ve been able to learn a little bit about me. I have tried to be candid, open, and vulnerable. I feel like I have grown spiritually, and I hope
Welcome to the One, True Church! Or is it?
I remember as a child I was taught that the Roman Catholic Church was the “one, true Church.” If someone chose not to be a part of the one, true Church, then they would face severe consequences. “But what
Pride and Prejudice
In a 2016 interview with journalist Lesley Stahl on the CBS program 60 Minutes, then-candidate Donald J. Trump said, “I think I am actually humble. I think I’m much more humble than you would understand.” The irony in this
All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient (Ex 24:7)
God has always had a special relationship with the Jewish people. The scriptures of the Old Testament are more accurately referred to as the Hebrew Bible because Christianity actually borrowed the books from Judaism. The first five books of