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good religion

by winn collier on May 16th, 2013 | 10 responses
As a pastor, I get interesting responses from people when they discover my vocation. Some will immediately apologize for the language they’ve used. Some offer a forced smile and then come up with an excuse to change the subject. One line I hear often is: “Well, I like Jesus, but I don’t like... read more »

freeing money

by winn collier on May 6th, 2013 | 8 responses
Among the poor, I’ve often encountered extravagant generosity. In the Amazon jungle, locals stretched their meager resources to provide me with daily meals. One evening they prepared fresh monkey stew and though it was not something I cared to eat, it was a costly delicacy for them. Within the... read more »

lost in the dark

by winn collier on April 28th, 2013 | no responses
Last March, the Ecuadorian navy rescued 18-year-old Adrian Vasquez after he had aimlessly floated 28 days across the ocean on a 10-foot schooner. He had gone fishing with two friends, but as they headed toward shore the motor failed. Vasquez’s friends soon died from exposure and hunger. When he... read more »

losing ourselves

by winn collier on April 20th, 2013 | 2 responses
James Hunter, a sociology professor at a large university, highlights the shift from shared moral foundations to individual choices that shift and vacillate. He says, “Most Americans continue to think of their lives in moral terms; they want to live good lives, but they are more uncertain about... read more »

carried

by winn collier on April 10th, 2013 | 4 responses
When my boys were smaller and it was time for bed, they would often ask if they could “be a sack of potatoes.” I would pick them up by their legs, sling them over my shoulder and climb the stairs to their room. I’d fling them into their bed the way a farmer tosses a 50-pound bag of spuds onto... read more »

a new genesis

by winn collier on March 31st, 2013 | 4 responses
A couple of years ago, as I was driving our son Wyatt to kindergarten, our conversation turned to resurrection. Understandably, Wyatt was perplexed about what it meant and how it worked. Finally, he asked the question for which he most wanted an answer. “Dad,” he asked, “when God raises us... read more »

the desert road

by winn collier on March 24th, 2013 | 4 responses
Apparently someone connected with Google has a sense of humor. In one recent Google Maps route from Japan to China, as expected, a long list of detailed directions populated the page. But if you scrolled down further, it told you to “kayak across the Pacific Ocean.” Following those instructions... read more »

a song of hope

by winn collier on March 16th, 2013 | 4 responses
Fearful of its subversive text and implications, the Guatemalan government of the 1980s banned the public reading or singing of Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:47-55). It’s the poetic hymn Mary sang after the angel had announced that she would give birth to a baby from God. One might wonder how a... read more »

pulled from death

by winn collier on March 6th, 2013 | one response
In Luxor, an Egyptian city more than 400 miles south of Cairo, medical professionals pronounced Hamdi Hafez al-Nubi dead. He was only 28 years old, far too young to die of a heart attack. His family took his body home and (following Islamic burial rites) bathed Hamdi in order to prepare him for his... read more »

blind eyes & burning hearts

by winn collier on February 27th, 2013 | 8 responses
If you want to humble me, all you need to do is hand me one of those Where’s Waldo? images—the ones where you attempt to locate the numerous places where the character Waldo blends into the scenery. I can stare at them for hours with little result. When someone finally points out Waldo’s... read more »
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