When I was growing up, I played with legos a lot. I built huge castles and structures and played make believe life with the little lego people. Occasionally, however, one of my siblings would come and destroy my creation just because they could. And yet, I would always build it back and the next time around I would make it even better than it was before. I am reminded that life in the wake of destruction is painful and frustrating,

Jesus proclaimed he had come to bring liberation to the oppressed and to set the captives free (Luke 4:18-19). Throughout the course of scripture, God has a history of doing this very thing over and over. God is in the business of bringing freedom and liberation to the powerless. And yet, this calls to our attention what it means to be oppressed and what it means to be freed. There are different types of oppression. There is physical oppression and there

Have you ever expected to find rest during the weekend only to be met by a broken AC or unexpected leaky roof? Since the pandemic, this has possibly been most of our lives. We expect one thing and discover another. In our scripture for this week from Acts 16, the disciples go to Philippi and expect to discover a place of prayer. Instead, they encountered people. The disciples encountered a group of women and began to listen to them, and the

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.... so they say..... I am sure many of us are familiar with the phrase, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." I heard my southern grandma say this a few times growing up. As well as, "remember, it is so much easier to pick up if everything has a place." Cleanliness and orderliness in the home remain very important to my grandma and many of us. In ancient Israel, cleanliness of home but also body, people, food,