18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-05-22-alexamenos-graffito-r26
Do not judge”, said Jesus (Matthew 7.1).
When Jesus said, “do not judge others” (GNB) he meant ‘do not be judgmental’. We are not asked to surrender the judgment of discernment, but we are called to surrender the judgment of condemnation. We are not to pretend that we know God’s verdict on other people’s lives. The reality is that there is so much we do not know or understand about others. There is always what my mother used to call OFM: that it is to say, the ‘one…
morehttps://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-05-1-jesus-son-of-david-part-3… 17 The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted;…
more- Jesus said “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14 Richard Rohr teaches that a practice of contemplation carries us into the “Big River” of God’s love, enabling us to release our fears. Grace and mercy teach us that we are all much larger than the good or bad stories we tell about ourselves or one another. Our small, fear-based stories are usually less than half true,… more
- https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-04-29-jesus-son-of-david-part-… 1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered round him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him. ( 1 Samuel 22v1-2)
- At the beginning of Jesus’ life in Mary’s womb there is an Angel saying “Fear not!”… At the beginning of Jesus’ risen life he says “Peace be with you” The author of 1 John later wrote, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” [1 John 4:18]. I think that this is the point of Jesus’ life: Perfect love casts out fear. Fear is a biological response and universal experience, but Jesus’s assurance is also true: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you….’ When he had… more
- ‘Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.’ Romans 8:26 There are days when I sit down to pray and the words simply will not come. I’m faced with something too large, too tangled, or too raw to articulate. I open my mouth or my journal and have no words. Perhaps you’ve been told, as I have, that prayer is something we can grow better at. A skill to be refined. That confidence in… more
- https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-04-27-jesus-son-of-david-part-… 16 The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.’ 2 But Samuel said, ‘How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.’ The Lord said, ‘Take… more
1 Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 Ahab said to Naboth, ‘Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a…
more‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10).
The lost art of being present (London Institute for Contemporary Christianity): When we try to preserve moments digitally, we risk losing them altogether
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In recent weeks, Olivier Award-winning actor Lesley Manville has sparked debate by criticising theatregoers who take photos during curtain calls. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, she urged audiences to ‘take the digital out of it for just a moment,’ adding…https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-04-22-disagreeing-well-r26
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’
29 …
moreRichard Rohr, drawing on the wisdom of Scripture and tradition, urges respect and recognition of God’s presence in the natural world:
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Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), a Doctor of the Church, wrote: “Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it.” Grace brings nature to a sense of its own sanctity, and it evokes this sacredness within the human heart.
This is the reason St. Francis could speak of animals as “brother” and “sister.” This manifold and diverse world is held together…For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?’ (Esther 4v14)
…
more‘Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.’ John 9:25
I once heard a preacher say, ‘I don’t understand everything there is to know about electricity – but I’m not going to sit around in the dark until I do. I simply turn on the light.’
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When it comes to living out our faith we don’t need all the answers, as long as we know why we follow Jesus.
John captures this beautifully in the story of the man born blind. With hallmark…16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5)
Some form of contemplative practice is the only way (apart from great love and great suffering) to rewire…
more13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-04-17-overflow-with-hope-r26
Richard Rohr offers a guided meditation, inviting listeners to be present with Jesus at the crucifixion:
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Picture yourself before the crucified Jesus; recognize that he became what you fear: nakedness, exposure, vulnerability, and failure. He became sin to free you from sin (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). He became what we do to one another in order to free us from the lie of punishing and scapegoating each other. He became the crucified so we would stop crucifying. He…Wherever two or three of you gather in my name, there I am,” (Matthew 18:20)
Brian McLaren reflects on how contemplation and community enable him to live according to the values of the kingdom of God:
During my years as a news junkie, I found myself getting a strange high from the latest ugliness report. Each time I indulged, I fanned the flames of something unhealthy … my moral superiority, or resentment, or…
moreBe still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10
How do you remain faithful when the surrounding culture is losing its moral center?
Without intentional spiritual formation and maturity, power, fear, and spectacle will train the soul faster than truth will.
One elder taught that the first task of spiritual life is learning to see your own reactions clearly: how quickly anger justifies itself, how easily fear pretends to…
more‘See now, the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy – they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession that you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgement upon them? For we are powerless against this great multitude that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’
2 Chronicles 20:10–12
When it…
moreRichard Rohr considers how Jesus calls us to be liberated from the agendas of our inflated egos:
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What was Jesus liberating us from? This probably won’t seem too different from what we would now call the ego or the false self. As Jesus put it, “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).
The church has largely distorted this message so it wasn’t primarily about a transformation of…5 ‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go…
moreResurrection: A Nonviolent Commission
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Peace activist John Dear finds encouragement for living a nonviolent life in Jesus’s words to his disciples after his resurrection:
When he rose from the dead and appeared to his awe-struck disciples on that Easter Sunday night, [Jesus] told them repeatedly, “Peace be with you.” He showed them his wounds, and repeated his greeting, “Peace be with you.” In that resurrection moment, he offered a peace that is not of this world…Richard Rohr describes how it’s possible to experience resurrection through experiencing God’s love:
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We don’t need to wait for death to experience resurrection. We can begin resurrection today by living connected to God. Resurrection happens every time we love someone even though they were not very loving to us. At that moment we have been brought to new life. Every time we decide to trust and begin again, even after repeated failures, we are resurrected. Every time we refuse to become…https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-04-6-love-your-enemy-r26
27 ‘But to you who are listening I say: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you.
Luke 6:27-28
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