I Corinthians 12 “No job is too big, no pup is too small,” so begins the introduction to Paw Patrol, an animated children’s show about a group of dogs who are first responders, each one different, with different personalities and gifts, who help people and animals in need. I wouldn’t have connected Paw Patrol with […]

Exodus 3:11-15 Moses had a history.  As he walked to work that morning, off to tend his father-in-law’s herds, perhaps Moses was pondering, “How did I get myself into this situation?” Perhaps, he recounted his life story, “Raised by the great Pharaoh’s daughter, born in luxury, destined for great things.  Born Hebrew, raised Egyptian, unsure of […]

Genesis 28:10-17   Genesis 32:22-32   We continue our reflection on Encountering God with the story of Jacob, the trickster, the biblical embodiment of the art of the deal.  Some folks are unexpected mystics, and Jacob fits this category.  From the moment of his birth, Jacob sought to get the upper hand on anyone he met.  He […]

Genesis 12:1-9 There is a saying, “when you make plans, God laughs.” It is not that God is out to turn our lives upside down, or that God wants to make things difficult for us, but that life is full of surprises, and sometimes God is the source of unexpected adventures, moving us out of our […]