Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among...  Read More

Jesus good because I want something from him? In the case of this man, it seems to be the latter. He wants Jesus to ensure him that he’s on the path to the sweet by and by, and I don’t think he’s alon...  Read More

If we look at what Christians in politics are known for in our time, it's not for virtue and humility but for our willingness to abandon Jesus' teachings to be close to power....  Read More

When wealth is our god, we forget our connections to each other and believe the lie that we are self-made people instead of God-made people who need each other. ...  Read More

This week I was blessed to officiate the wedding of a former youth group member from a few churches ago. In my homily I said the following, “I want to keep my words today few. Because words matter. Th...  Read More

Young children can respond to God in faith....  Read More

In this week’s reading, John told Jesus he tried to stop someone who had been ministering in Jesus’ name, “because he was not following us.” John is concerned with whose team gets the credit. For Jesu...  Read More

This is SHALOM: peace, wholeness, life as God intends....  Read More

Rev. Joel Esala......  Read More

We are in the middle of Mark, which makes Jesus’ question the disciples’ midterm exam. Peter answers, “You are the Messiah.” In other words, you are more than a prophet, Jesus. You are the one who’s c...  Read More

Suffering is a feature of life....  Read More

Why are we so scared of differences?...  Read More