Jason Lief

This past week I co-led another Prairie Serve, an event that brings high school students from the U.S. and Canada to Sioux City, Iowa to see how God is at work. We partner with Siouxland Unity Church, a Lao community in Sioux City, the Gospel…

High school students know how to play the game. The ones I taught knew what to say and when to say it. In class, I'd listen to a student give a heart warming articulation of the Christian faith, only to hear through back channels that…

A few years ago I was in a conversation with a National Guard member. Ok, it was an argument, but before I continue please know I respect people who serve our country. My father was in Viet Nam and his father was in World War…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-rmGy9gWvE Tonight I get to play music with my son. We started a band called The Hiccups. We mainly play covers—the Foo Fighters, Jack White, Nirvana, and Rage Against the Machine. My son, Christian, started playing the drums a few years ago, and I figured we…

The Shape of Water won the Oscar for best film last February. It tells the story of a mute woman who falls in love with an amphibious creature held captive by the U.S. government. The films of director, Guillermo del Toro, tend to incorporate fantasy…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7NKXlmRvWE I remember when I first read God of the Oppressed by James Cone. It challenged me, it convicted me, and it made me re-think my approach to theological study. I was forced to contemplate the politics of the gospel, that maybe Christianity isn't just…

https://youtu.be/7VJPhLSfIl0 My son turned 14 last week. For his birthday we bought him tickets to see his favorite artist in concert, so Monday night we drove down to Omaha for a Jack White concert. I'm not sure how he got so into Jack White. I'm…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCF5Y8dQpR4 I've only seen the trailer, and I've only read one review, but I can't wait to see it. Schrader is haunted by a world that I've been grafted in to. I'm a Lutheran by birth, a Scandinavian by name, and Reformed by choice. I could…

On this Good Friday I am reminded of the life and testimony of Oscar Romero, who is on the path to be made a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. As Archbishop of San Salvador he was seen as a social conservative who opposed liberation…

This semester I'm teaching a spiritual formation class—we meet in the local Episcopal church. It's a small church but it's a place to light candles, pray, and look at icons. The front of the church has these beautifully painted icons of Jesus and a crew…