“When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.” — Acts 27:1-2 In Acts 27, we follow Paul as a prisoner. He's awaiting trial and has appealed to Caesar as a Roman citizen, so he's put on a ship bound for Italy. That's when things stop going according to plan. “Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Da

I grew up watching The X-Files, so you must forgive me if I have an unusual interest in “little green men” from outer space. When I was working on my undergraduate degree in astrophysics twenty years ago, I was always fascinated by the chapters at the end of the astronomy textbooks with titles like “Astrobiology” or “The Search for Life.” At that time, astronomers were finding the first observable evidence of planets beyond our own solar system. There were fewer than 80 verif

Why Easter? Isn't Easter pagan or something? Aren't we supposed to remember Jesus every week? Is the devil trying to brainwash my kids with chocolate rabbits and marshmallow Peeps? As a minister, I get those questions every year, and I'll admit that I used to spend a lot of time worried about it myself. Let me share a few details that might clarify things. Be warned! A nerdy deep-dive is ahead! The logic of celebrating any day as special from another is the same as celebratin

The cross invites us to slow down, observe, and remember. It is easy to rush past Good Friday. We look ahead to Sunday, to joy, hope and the empty tomb. Yet before we get there, we are meant to pause, stand still, and listen. The final words of Jesus on the cross cause us to stop and observe who he is. They are simple, but they are full of meaning. They show us not just who he is, but what he came to do. Jesus Offered Forgiveness “Father, forgive them, for they know not what