4th Day Letters

Not long after Jesus’ resurrection the Bible tells us Peter was fishing naked. Why would this strange detail be included? Why was he undressed in the first place? And what does fishing naked have to do with us? Find out in today's message. In John 21:7 when we...

Have you ever been stunned by the news that a married couple that you were close to, were separating? Couples can seem like they have the ideal marriage—happy, supportive, and deeply committed to each other, when suddenly you discover they are parting ways. When this...

Why do we keep doing the very things we promised ourselves—and God—we wouldn’t do? Why does temptation feel like it has our number on speed dial? Why did saints, and why do all Christians keep falling? If you’ve ever felt stuck in the cycle of sin and repentance,...

Have you ever felt like a "wayward child," stumbling your way through life’s noise and confusion? The classic song "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas captures the heart of every spiritual journey — the search for meaning, the weight of mistakes, and the hope of peace...

In your mind, try to picture a participant in a track meet running the high hurdles. He is winning as he approaches the final hurdle. Suddenly there’s a painful fall. He trips on the last hurdle and falls flat on his face just before the finish line. The pain and...

It has often been said that sausage making is an ugly process. The end product may be tasty, but if you ever saw how it was made, you might think twice before eating it. This might be an appropriate analogy for the process of selecting a new pope. It’s not always...

We often assume that people behind prison walls are the ones truly trapped, while those of us walking free are the ones who know what liberty feels like. But what if the opposite is true? During my recent prison retreat, I encountered men who, despite their crimes and...

Please join me in celebrating my 700th 4th Day Letter. When I sat down to write this week’s 4th Day Letter, I reflected upon the memories of so many past messages. I can hardly believe that I have written seven hundred over the past 13 plus years. I only set out with...

Here we are at the beginning of Holy Week. For us as Christians, this week stands as the pinnacle week of the year. Good Friday and Easter Sunday are inextricably linked, each giving meaning to the other. Without the resurrection of Easter, Good Friday would merely...

Matthew 25:31-46 gives us the parable about the separation of the sheep from the goats. In it, Jesus tells us if we fail to care for the "least of these" (the hungry, thirsty, homeless, naked, sick, and imprisoned) we will go off to eternal punishment. Simply stated,...