In the prophecy from Joel that Peter quotes on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, God makes an incredible promise: "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh." What if this statement is taken as the centerpiece of God's salvation of humanity and the world?

I thought I knew everything. Or at least pretty close. It took a long time to become wise, and by wise I mean to realize how much I don't actually know. And for a while it's left me feeling pretty faithless and lost.

Anthony Smith, a.k.a. Postmodern Negro, talks about the non-traditional Advent story in the Gospel of Mark.

What do we get for slowing down, for sitting peaceably at summer's end, talking of poetry? We get called an idler by the noisy set, the productive people, the bankers, the schoolmasters, the clergy, the active folk, the busy people.

Christians will look back in time on Pentecost. But they'll also need to be looking at the present, dreaming with their eyes open and daring to consider where God may be found today.

How can one American be particularly touched by God's grace -- and an equally devout (or secular) Japanese family be taken up by a huge wave and tossed like rubbish in the wreck of their home?

Has our style of worship become more important than the substance of worship? Has having a good time in church become more important than living a good, disciplined and empowered life?