My nightlight for my night terrors. My body guard in a dark alley. That’s Yahweh, Canceling my fear. My life’s safe house, That’s Yahweh. Remind me again Why I should fear anyone. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm […]
Tag: fear
A view on coronavirus from inside the hospital
I’ve been working as a hospital chaplain for several years. It’s a unique job where almost every part of the hospital is open to me while the rest of those who work in the hospital […]
Even here — Psalm 57 and the unexpected presence of God
Some corners of culture, some places, some people seem both godless and god-forsaken. Some parts of our lives feel either fenced-off from God or ignored by our Maker. A quick look at the news or […]
Nuclear fear
They shut down the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant today. Yesterday, my son toured a completed but never turned on nuclear power plant in Washington. The reason it was never turned on? The fear […]
Psalm 59
A rendering of Psalm 59, a desperate plea for help from God while being slandered and threatened.
Psalm 31
A rendering of Psalm 31, a psalm in the midst of shame and anxiety that finds hope and shame’s cure in God’s faithfulness.
Psalm 27
A rendering of Psalm 27, a prayer in the darkness, resetting the imagination from fear to God.
Psalm 23
A rendering of Psalm 23, which offers a picture of the contented life, something our discontented culture needs.
When fear makes me feel like a failure
Sometimes, I give up too easily, too quickly. Life is difficult and filled with obstacles, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed before I’ve even given things a real effort. I have a book project I’ve been […]
Facing fear
Fears come in all shapes and sizes. Some fears grip us by the throat, suffocating us. Some fears climb up on our backs, weighing us down as they accumulate. But all our fears have one […]
Sleeping in the face of fear
Life is hard enough with all of its pressures and demands from outside of our homes, but when the dividing lines which fracture our lives run through our families, the stress can break us. The […]
No more whiny Christians!
For my entire life, I’ve heard fellow followers of Jesus complain about what they read in the newspapers and see on TV. “The world is going to hell in a hand basket!” they complain. “Our […]
What’s the opposite of a terrorist?
After the terrorist massacre in Orlando, I’ve been thinking about this question: What’s the opposite of terrorism? We have grown accustomed to acts of terror in world news, but when they happen in our protected […]
A glorious experiment in failure
“All we are saying is give Pete a chance.” The crowd was into it, singing along with the band a cheesy version of John and Yoko’s “All we are saying is give peace a chance.” […]
Recovering the lost art of friendship
I picked up the phone yesterday and called Steven, a friend of more than two decades. He couldn’t answer right away but called me back as soon as he was free. Now, Steven and I don’t […]
Don't vote for evil.
As this year’s presidential campaign continues, I am asked more and more often, “What do I do? I can’t decide who to vote for. I don’t like either of the two main candidates.” Now, there […]
Dealing with fear by living in love
I am far less rational than I like to think I am. In all kinds of small and large ways, fear keeps me from doing small things that I might like to do and large […]