As we ponder Jesus rsquo confrontation with the Sadducees regarding life in the world to come we are compelled to ask ldquo Do I believe in resurrection rdquo How one answers this question orients how we live today It is a question that is not so much answered intellectually though it is not

The question was put to Jesus ldquo Lord will only a few be saved rdquo His answer like many a teacher rsquo s regarding more mundane matters like quizzes and tests is a variation on ldquo study hard rdquo Jesus instructs the questioner and the crowd ldquo Strive to enter through the na

It can be hard to tell the truth Sometimes no one wants to hear it either because people have already determined a path they feel is more advantageous to them or they are more comfortable ignoring it Sometimes we are all those people For those who read Flannery O rsquo Connor the shocking real

People of faith find themselves often perhaps daily tottering on the precipice of disillusion swaying from their own questions wondering if they have been suckered by some mug rsquo s game that tells them to be satisfied with God rsquo s promises instead of the cold hard reality of this world r

The Preacher Qoheleth says that ldquo all things are vanity rdquo His intent is not I think to be cynical though Qoheleth can provoke this among the world-weary His wisdom is rather the product of a hard-boiled realism which knows the truth of desires and ambitions that often consume us H

In every age evil takes on a new name and a new face Auschwitz sexual abuse Sodom human trafficking The personification of God in the Old Testament takes many forms but goodness remains the same and unchanged God who loves us and desires relationship with us In Genesis 18 God is presented