Jesus Ascends, We Carry On
We recognize the ascension of Jesus this week. Let’s see how this story is the hinge between the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.
Good Grace to You | The Art Pastor’s Guide to Thanksgiving
A Thanksgiving gift to you. Good grace, joy, and favor to you this year.
Lazarus and the Rich Man | A Visual Commentary on Luke 16:19-31
Jesus tells a parable in Luke 16:19-31 about a poor man named Lazarus and a wealthy man who die on the same day. I can’t make sense out of this parable unless I go back to Luke 15:1, start from there, and roll into the parable within the context of the larger...
Reflecting on Hate in Luke 14:25-33 | A Contemplative Livestream
On Friday, September 5, at 4:00pm CT I livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook for an hour. I created an original image from scratch in Procreate on my iPad Pro. Bring your art supplies and create with me, or simply sit back and allow my creative process to be a...
Why Does Jesus Tell Us to Hate in Luke 14:25-33?
This week’s Gospel reading (Luke 14:25–33) is a hard one. Jesus turns to the crowd and says:
“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”
That word—hate—lands with a sting. It was provocative in Jesus’ day, and it feels even sharper in ours. What could he possibly mean?
In this visual meditation, I slow down and enter the text with my pen, letting images, movement, and scripture interweave. As I draw, I listen for the deeper challenge of discipleship: Is Jesus calling us to despise our families? Or, is there something deeper? Is he calling us to deal with the cost of following him.