Jason Lief

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…

For one year I worked as a volunteer at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, MN. I was doing graduate work in the field of Pastoral Care so I volunteered as a chaplain. The Cristo Rey network of high schools focuses on helping young…