Matthew 18:15-20 - Jesus is telling us that seeing a conflict from a different perspective is crucial to the restoration of relationships. We belong to a vast and complex system of inter-relational connections that results in fault rarely landing on a single individual.

Exodus 20:13 - Perhaps the sun has set on our anger for too long, and our frustrations and bitter feelings have created the darkness we now face today. When we allow violence to breed violence, we contribute to the forces of evil, that as Dr. King said, adds "darkness to a night already devoid of stars."

Exodus 20:12/Deuteronomy 5:16 - The command to honor our mothers and our fathers is meant to set the stage for the expansive vision of what it means to live in God's kin(g)dom.

Exodus 20:8-11 - The stillness, the quietness, of Sabbath rest is a necessity in our modern era. It recharges our energies in a manner that will sustain us as we go forward, carrying out the mission and vision of God.

Exodus 20:7 - The name of God represents our God who breathes life into creation, and not death, who loves us, and does not condemn us. When we misuse the name of God in ways that bring about harm to others, then the Third Commandment has been broken, not just in how we relate to God, but to one another as well.

Exodus 20:2-6 - The tricky part is that the idols or other graven images the Second Commandment prohibits do not always come in the blatant form of a giant golden calf.

Exodus 20:2-6 - The Prologue and the First Commandment set the stage for exploration into embracing the Ten Commandments as a way of life.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 - Let us see where God is at work, bringing grace to the places that need healing and reconciliation. We might notice seeds beginning to take root in unexpected places, so let our hearts be tended to so that we may tend to others as we continue to live in the kin(g)dom where God has called us.

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 - Truth is the beginning of wisdom. And the more we are open to discovering new truths about God, ourselves, and others in a way that is relational, we will find that we are on the path that leads us to live fruitful lives.

Revelation 21:9-11, 22-26 - The New Jerusalem is made to shine like a rare jewel. It is made to shine like a bright jewel only because all those who come into it add what they have to glorify God in a life-giving manner.