Stephen Bond
@impiousgalilean.bsky.social
ELCA pastor in northwestern Ohio;
Trying to love well—convinced that Jesus of Nazareth makes that possible
Trying to love well—convinced that Jesus of Nazareth makes that possible
Good morning also to the bands of clouds and the rising sun greeting me on the way to the next thing on the itinerary out in the world that God loves…
December 2, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Good morning also to the bands of clouds and the rising sun greeting me on the way to the next thing on the itinerary out in the world that God loves…
Good morning to the surreal reflection of the church Christmas tree seen through the window superimposed over the living evergreens coated with snow as flurries float down on this part of the world that God loves…
December 2, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Good morning to the surreal reflection of the church Christmas tree seen through the window superimposed over the living evergreens coated with snow as flurries float down on this part of the world that God loves…
Prayers for the Peaceable Kingdom--Advent 2025
Light Enough--December 2, 2025
Light Enough--December 2, 2025
December 2, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Prayers for the Peaceable Kingdom--Advent 2025
Light Enough--December 2, 2025
Light Enough--December 2, 2025
Walked past this quote on our wall while taking out the trash tonight, and it resonated with me. From Walter Wink: “Evil can be opposed without being mirrored. Oppressors can be resisted without being emulated. Enemies can be neutralized without being destroyed.”
Amen and amen.
Amen and amen.
December 1, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Walked past this quote on our wall while taking out the trash tonight, and it resonated with me. From Walter Wink: “Evil can be opposed without being mirrored. Oppressors can be resisted without being emulated. Enemies can be neutralized without being destroyed.”
Amen and amen.
Amen and amen.
Despite our "children's warring madness" as the old hymn puts it, God refuses to give up on speaking a peaceable vision to us. God refuses to accept our self-destructive self-centeredness as the last word.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/12/lett...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/12/lett...
Letting God Disarm Us--December 2, 2025
Letting God Disarm Us--December 2, 2025 For out of Zion shall go forth instruction and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judg...
beinggraced.blogspot.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Despite our "children's warring madness" as the old hymn puts it, God refuses to give up on speaking a peaceable vision to us. God refuses to accept our self-destructive self-centeredness as the last word.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/12/lett...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/12/lett...
Good afternoon to the patterns in the ice on the sidewalk, which have incorporated leaves that have fallen onto the world that God loves…
December 1, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Good afternoon to the patterns in the ice on the sidewalk, which have incorporated leaves that have fallen onto the world that God loves…
Word for the Week:
(Drawn from Matthew 3:1-12)
God’s reign has come near. Nothing is stopping you from being a part of it now.
#WordForTheWeek
(Drawn from Matthew 3:1-12)
God’s reign has come near. Nothing is stopping you from being a part of it now.
#WordForTheWeek
December 1, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Word for the Week:
(Drawn from Matthew 3:1-12)
God’s reign has come near. Nothing is stopping you from being a part of it now.
#WordForTheWeek
(Drawn from Matthew 3:1-12)
God’s reign has come near. Nothing is stopping you from being a part of it now.
#WordForTheWeek
Prayers for the Peaceable Kingdom--Advent 2025
Dec. 1—Our Heavy Arsenals
Dec. 1—Our Heavy Arsenals
December 1, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Prayers for the Peaceable Kingdom--Advent 2025
Dec. 1—Our Heavy Arsenals
Dec. 1—Our Heavy Arsenals
God morning to the eastern sky as December comes to the word that God loves…
December 1, 2025 at 12:45 PM
God morning to the eastern sky as December comes to the word that God loves…
Nobody puts up a figurine of John the Baptizer beside their Nativity sets or under their tree, but John is ok with that. He isn't a bit of ornamental decoration. He's here to point us to the One who IS the center of everything--Jesus, who brings the Reign of God.
youtu.be/TdPgrwLdzAA
youtu.be/TdPgrwLdzAA
Looking Ahead 12 07 25
YouTube video by Stephen Bond
youtu.be
November 30, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Nobody puts up a figurine of John the Baptizer beside their Nativity sets or under their tree, but John is ok with that. He isn't a bit of ornamental decoration. He's here to point us to the One who IS the center of everything--Jesus, who brings the Reign of God.
youtu.be/TdPgrwLdzAA
youtu.be/TdPgrwLdzAA
Good day to the maple leaf making a handprint in the snow that has fallen overnight in this part of the world that God loves…
November 30, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Good day to the maple leaf making a handprint in the snow that has fallen overnight in this part of the world that God loves…
It is time.
A blessed Advent to you who observe, as we ready our feet to be drawn to the light.
A blessed Advent to you who observe, as we ready our feet to be drawn to the light.
November 30, 2025 at 5:54 PM
It is time.
A blessed Advent to you who observe, as we ready our feet to be drawn to the light.
A blessed Advent to you who observe, as we ready our feet to be drawn to the light.
When Isaiah envisions countless crowds of people coming from across every border on student visas to learn the ways of God, he isn't afraid or threatened--he is hopeful. If there are limits for who can come in, the prophet Isaiah doesn't know about them.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/this...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/this...
This Wide Welcome--December 1, 2025
This Wide Welcome--December 1, 2025 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come the mountain of...
beinggraced.blogspot.com
November 30, 2025 at 4:33 PM
When Isaiah envisions countless crowds of people coming from across every border on student visas to learn the ways of God, he isn't afraid or threatened--he is hopeful. If there are limits for who can come in, the prophet Isaiah doesn't know about them.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/this...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/this...
Prayers for the Peaceable Kingdom--Advent 2025
Nov. 30--For Our Many Separations
Nov. 30--For Our Many Separations
November 30, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Prayers for the Peaceable Kingdom--Advent 2025
Nov. 30--For Our Many Separations
Nov. 30--For Our Many Separations
Good morning to the grey sky behind the branches waiting for snow to fall here in this part of the world that God loves…
November 29, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Good morning to the grey sky behind the branches waiting for snow to fall here in this part of the world that God loves…
Black Friday
a poem for November 28, 2025
a poem for November 28, 2025
November 28, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Black Friday
a poem for November 28, 2025
a poem for November 28, 2025
Good morning to the cactus blossom at the church greeting me with warm color as relief from the cold outside in the world that God loves…
November 28, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Good morning to the cactus blossom at the church greeting me with warm color as relief from the cold outside in the world that God loves…
Jesus' outstretched arms are open for us as well, the same as they were for the one beside Jesus outside Jerusalem on another Friday long ago. There has never been anything we had to do, say, or know to earn our acceptance; it's always been grace.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/with...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/with...
Within Jesus' Reach--November 28, 2025
Within Jesus' Reach--November 28, 2025 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding [Jesus] and saying, “Are you not the Messiah...
beinggraced.blogspot.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Jesus' outstretched arms are open for us as well, the same as they were for the one beside Jesus outside Jerusalem on another Friday long ago. There has never been anything we had to do, say, or know to earn our acceptance; it's always been grace.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/with...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/with...
Jesus' way will always seem subversive--and, yes, the powers of the day might even think it is seditious--precisely because it calls into question every king, kingdom, and regime that operates by "Me and My Group's Interests First" thinking.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/no-b...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/no-b...
No Bulletproof Glass--November 27, 2025
No Bulletproof Glass--November 27, 2025 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals,...
beinggraced.blogspot.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Jesus' way will always seem subversive--and, yes, the powers of the day might even think it is seditious--precisely because it calls into question every king, kingdom, and regime that operates by "Me and My Group's Interests First" thinking.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/no-b...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/no-b...
Good afternoon to the tufts of seeds catching snowflakes in the strong winds that blow through the world that God loves…
November 26, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Good afternoon to the tufts of seeds catching snowflakes in the strong winds that blow through the world that God loves…
Hey friends!
While you are taking out your turkey to thaw or prepping your cranberry sauce, you can listen to this week's new episode of Crazy Faith Talk!
Join us for our concluding conversation in "The Meaning of Mercy"!
open.spotify.com/episode/0Eiw...
While you are taking out your turkey to thaw or prepping your cranberry sauce, you can listen to this week's new episode of Crazy Faith Talk!
Join us for our concluding conversation in "The Meaning of Mercy"!
open.spotify.com/episode/0Eiw...
Episode 459: The Meaning of Mercy, Part Six--Mercy and Forgiveness
open.spotify.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Hey friends!
While you are taking out your turkey to thaw or prepping your cranberry sauce, you can listen to this week's new episode of Crazy Faith Talk!
Join us for our concluding conversation in "The Meaning of Mercy"!
open.spotify.com/episode/0Eiw...
While you are taking out your turkey to thaw or prepping your cranberry sauce, you can listen to this week's new episode of Crazy Faith Talk!
Join us for our concluding conversation in "The Meaning of Mercy"!
open.spotify.com/episode/0Eiw...
Reposted by Stephen Bond
This artwork is a tribute to my departed father and to anyone who has been treated like a black sheep in the Church, in their family, or anywhere they were made to feel unwanted.
November 25, 2025 at 5:17 PM
This artwork is a tribute to my departed father and to anyone who has been treated like a black sheep in the Church, in their family, or anywhere they were made to feel unwanted.
God really has put all the chips on the table, as it were, and has risked it all... for all of us. And that is news that will let me put my feet on the floor another day. That is hope enough, even on days when the shadow of death is lurking painfully close.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/noth...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/noth...
Nothing Held Back--November 26, 2025
Nothing Held Back--November 26, 2025 "[Christ] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so tha...
beinggraced.blogspot.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:45 PM
God really has put all the chips on the table, as it were, and has risked it all... for all of us. And that is news that will let me put my feet on the floor another day. That is hope enough, even on days when the shadow of death is lurking painfully close.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/noth...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/noth...
Even the people we think are least lovable, even the ones who we think contribute the least, and even the people who are turned completely away from God are still beloved by God such that God actively wills to sustain them and the world in which they live.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
The Music Is Still Playing--November 25, 2025
The Music Is Still Playing--November 25, 2025 "[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all t...
beinggraced.blogspot.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Even the people we think are least lovable, even the ones who we think contribute the least, and even the people who are turned completely away from God are still beloved by God such that God actively wills to sustain them and the world in which they live.
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
beinggraced.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
Good morning to the eastern sky on the way to the church and the day’s doings in the world that God loves…
November 24, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Good morning to the eastern sky on the way to the church and the day’s doings in the world that God loves…