Author Archives: Galen Zook

Happy Mother’s Day. Today happens to be the Sunday that we mark Jesus’ ascension into heaven, where he sits enthroned in power and honor at the right hand of God. Christ is exalted, vindicated, confirmed, and accepted beyond all doubt. That’s what the scriptures tell us. Jesus’ ascension is a transitional event in the earlyContinue reading “He was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”

I want to tell you a story about a college student attending one of the most prestigious institutions in the country, where I first studied biblical interpretation and church history in my journey toward serving as a pastor in the United Methodist Church. The student’s name is Sam Gardner, and he writes about just howContinue reading “You did not choose me but I chose you.”

Today is a beautiful day, with the sunlight lifting our spirits and inviting us out of our dimly lit homes, into our back gardens, walking down tree lined streets, greeting neighbors, and smiling as we see other families and individuals welcoming the sun on their faces, too. The vines grow faster than we can manageContinue reading “This is a wilderness road.”

Hope In the most obscure and sordid place, in the most hostile and harshest, in the most corrupt and nauseating places, there You do Your work. That is why Your Son descended into hell, in order to transform what IS NOT and to purify that which IS BECOMING. This is hope! – Julia Esquivel IContinue reading “The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger.”

Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.[1] My favorite poet has a way of encapsulating a sentiment, or a lesson, or a day, or a life, into something you can hold in your mind, repeat to yourself over and over, like a mantra, until you have learned something yourself, somethingContinue reading “To this we are witnesses.”