Intertwined - faith • community • ecology

Kevin Long
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Intertwined is a faith community in the Harrisburg (PA) area. We explore Christian scripture and life through the lens of ecology.

  1. A crossing over we won't see

    May 24

    A crossing over we won't see

    Why didn't Moses enter the Promised Land? What crossing over won't we see? Should faith be a verb? "A crossing over we won't see" is based on Deuteronomy 34. Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. The LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD’s command. He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired, and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended. Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him, and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses. Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. Works Referenced Bass, Diana Butler. Christianity After Religion. New York: HarperCollins, 2012. Brueggemann, Walter. Deuteronomy. (Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries). Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2001.  Case-Winters, Anna. Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Belief: a Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. Kindle edition. Clements, Ronald E. “Deuteronomy.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume I. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015. Levinson, Bernard M. “Deuteronomy.” In The Jewish Study Bible: Second Edition, edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Powell, Mark Allen. Matthew (Interpretation Bible Commentary). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2025. Kindle edition. Thompson, Deanna A. Deuteronomy (Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014. Tickle, Phyllis. The Great Emergence. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 2008. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Medium, Twitter, or Tik Tok. Questions? Write us at intertwinedfc@gmail.com.

    15 min
  2. Soft robes aren't always good

    May 10

    Soft robes aren't always good

    Did John the Baptist ever express doubt? Do you ever struggle with doubt? Does the desire for comfort ever keep you from taking a more fulfilling path? "Soft robes aren't always good" is based on Matthew 11:7-19 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What, then, did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What, then, did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and violent people take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John came, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen! “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” Works Referenced Boring, M. Eugene. “The Gospel of Matthew.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume VII. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015. Case-Winters, Anna. Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Belief: a Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. Kindle edition. McGoldrick, Gillian. "These Pennsylvanians walked 63 miles to get lawmakers to stop taking gifts — and unlimited campaign contributions." The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 6, 2026. https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/march-on-harrisburg-protest-gift-ban-20260506.html Powell, Mark Allen. Matthew (Interpretation Bible Commentary). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2025. Kindle edition. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Medium, Twitter, or Tik Tok. Questions? Write us at intertwinedfc@gmail.com.

    18 min
  3. That time you hoped God was using a metaphor

    Apr 26

    That time you hoped God was using a metaphor

    What change does God make in our hearts? What does it mean to hear the voice of Jesus? What helps us hear his voice better? "That time you hoped God was using a metaphor" is based on Deuteronomy 10:12-22 and John 10:1-10 “So now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being. Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD your God, the earth with all that is in it, yet the LORD set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their descendants after them, out of all the peoples, as it is today. Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God; him you shall serve; to him you shall hold fast; and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise; he is your God who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen. Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in heaven. Works Referenced Blair, Thom, general editor. Published in association with The German Bible Society and Logos Bible Software. The Hebrew-English Interlinear ESV Old Testament: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2014.  Brueggemann, Walter. Deuteronomy. (Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries). Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2001.  Clements, Ronald E. “Deuteronomy.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume I. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015. Cole, John. “Trump, Shapiro, McCormick applaud decision keeping two Pa. coal plants running.” The Bradford Era. April 23, 2026. https://www.bradfordera.com/2026/04/23/trump-shapiro-mccormick-applaud-decision-keeping-two-pa-coal-plants-running/ Holmes, Laura Sweat and George Lyons. John 1-12: A Commentary in the Western Tradition (New Beacon Bible Commentary). Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press, 2020. Kindle edition. Levinson, Bernard M. “Deuteronomy.” In The Jewish Study Bible: Second Edition, edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Meye Thompson, Marianne. John: A Commentary (The New Testament Library). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. Thompson, Deanna A. Deuteronomy (Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Medium, Twitter, or Tik Tok. Questions? Write us at intertwinedfc@gmail.com.

    15 min
  4. Why the disciples never checked their bags

    Apr 12

    Why the disciples never checked their bags

    What were the instructions Jesus gave his disciples when he sent them to share the news of the kingdom of heaven? What did he warn them about? Are his instructions to us the same? "Why the disciples never checked their bags" is based on Matthew 10:5-25 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not take a road leading to gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’, Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff, for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Sibling will betray sibling to death and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this town, flee to the next, for truly I tell you, you will not have finished going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above the teacher nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! Works Referenced Boring, M. Eugene. “The Gospel of Matthew.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume VII. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015. Burge, Ryan. Graphs about Religion. https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com Case-Winters, Anna. Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Belief: a Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. Kindle edition. Douthat, Ross, host and Andrea Betanzos, producer. “No, Young Men Are Not Returning to Church.” Interesting Times podcast. January 22, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/opinion/interesting-times-ryan-burge.html Frost, Michael and Alan Hirsch. The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Ministry for the 21st Century. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2013. Poglitsch, Tyler. "Young men driving church attendance shift." Fox 43. April 6, 2026. https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/young-men-church-attendance-shift-pa Powell, Mark Allen. Matthew (Interpretation Bible Commentary). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2025. Kindle edition. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Medium, Twitter, or Tik Tok. Questions? Write us at intertwinedfc@gmail.com.

    14 min
  5. How do you decide who to curse?

    Mar 30

    How do you decide who to curse?

    In which Bible story does an animal talk? How do you maintain your principles in the face of powerful influence? When should a people be cursed? "How do you decide who to curse?" is based on Numbers 23:1-12 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” Balak did as Balaam had said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offerings while I go aside. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height. Then God met Balaam, and Balaam said to him, “I have arranged the seven altars and have offered a bull and a ram on each altar.” The LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you must say.” So he returned to Balak, who was standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab. Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying, “Balak has brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: ‘Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, denounce Israel!’ How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced? For from the top of the crags I see him; from the hills I behold him. Here is a people living alone and not reckoning itself among the nations! Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the dust cloud of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!” Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but now you have done nothing but bless them.” He answered, “Must I not take care to say what the LORD puts into my mouth?" Works Referenced Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. New York City: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2019, Kindle edition. Aziz, Omer. “When the demon takes over.” The Christian Century Vol. 143, No. 4 (April 2026): 66-71. Dozeman, Thomas B. “Numbers.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume III. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015. Dozeman, Thomas B. “Numbers.” In The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha, 5th ed., edited by Michael D. Coogan. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. Fox, Nili S. “Numbers.” In The Jewish Study Bible: Second Edition, edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Jacobson, Karl N. “Numbers.” In Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The Old Testament and Apocrypha, edited by Gale A. Yee, Hugh R. Page, Jr., Matthew J. M. Coomber. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014. Kindle edition. Jenkins, Jack. “At Doug Wilson’s DC Church Plant, ‘Worship Is Warfare.’” Religion News Service. July 15, 2025. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/07/christ-church-dc-doug-wilson-pete-hegseth/ Thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Medium, Twitter, or Tik Tok. Questions? Write us at intertwinedfc@gmail.com.

    15 min
  6. I want demons to be real

    Mar 15

    I want demons to be real

    When did Jesus cast out demons? Do demons make us do bad things? Why would you want demons to be real? "I want demons to be real" is based on Matthew 8:28-34  When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two men possessed by demons came out of the tombs and met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go!” So they came out and entered the swine, and suddenly, the whole herd stampeded down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water. The swineherds ran off, and, going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the men possessed by demons. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their region. Works Referenced Allam, Hannah. "The U.S. Built a Blueprint to Avoid Civilian War Casualties. Trump Officials Scrapped It." ProPublica. March 10, 2026.  https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-defense-department-iran-hegseth-civilian-casualties Boring, M. Eugene. “The Gospel of Matthew.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume VII. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015. Britannica. “How many people died in the Vietnam War?” Accessed March 11, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/question/How-many-people-died-in-the-Vietnam-War Case-Winters, Anna. Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Belief: a Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. Kindle edition. Cremer, Benjamin. "There is no 'battle of Armageddon' in the book of Revelation." Into the gray. March 5, 2026.  https://benjamin-cremer.kit.com/posts/there-is-no-battle-of-armageddon-in-the-book-of-revelation Gonzalez, Justo L. Luke: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Belief: a Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010. Kindle Edition. The Guardian. "Civilian deaths in Iran pass 700 amid fear of bombs and regime clampdown." March 2, 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/mar/02/civilian-deaths-in-iran-pass-200-amid-fear-of-bombs-and-regime-clampdown Powell, Mark Allen. Matthew (Interpretation Bible Commentary). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2025. Kindle edition. Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs, Brown University. “Costs of War.” September 1, 2021. https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/figures/2021/WarDeathToll. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Medium, Twitter, or Tik Tok. Questions? Write us at intertwinedfc@gmail.com.

    14 min
  7. This is why we can't have nice things

    Mar 1

    This is why we can't have nice things

    What happened when Moses sent spies into Canaan? What might our promised land look like? What keeps us from reaching it? "This is why we can't have nice things" is based on Numbers 14:13-24 But Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for in your might you brought up this people from among them, and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people, for you, O LORD, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go in front of them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if you kill this people as one, then the nations who have heard about you will say, ‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land he swore to give them that he has slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ And now, therefore, let the power of the LORD be great in the way that you promised when you spoke, saying, ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children to the third and the fourth generation.’ “Forgive the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have pardoned this people, from Egypt even until now.” Then the LORD said, “I do forgive, just as you have asked; nevertheless, as I live and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, none of the people who have seen my glory and the signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness and yet have tested me these ten times and have not obeyed my voice shall see the land that I swore to give to their ancestors; none of those who despised me shall see it. But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me wholeheartedly, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Works Referenced Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. New York City: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2019, Kindle edition.  Dozeman, Thomas B. “The Book of Numbers.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume I. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015. Fox, Nili S. “Numbers.” In The Jewish Study Bible: Second Edition, edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Green, Miranda. “Inside the Largest Deregulatory Action in US History.” The Understory. February 18, 2026. https://atmos.earth/political-landscapes/inside-the-largest-deregulatory-action-in-us-history Middle East Eye. “US and Israeli attack on Iran: At least 85 girls killed in strike on school.” February 28, 2026. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/least-24-girls-killed-us-strike-elementary-school-southern-iran Thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Medium, Twitter, or Tik Tok. Questions? Write us at intertwinedfc@gmail.com.

    11 min
  8. Save the whales or save the seeds?

    Feb 15

    Save the whales or save the seeds?

    Who did Jesus heal? How do we decide who to help? When do we need to reach out? "Save the whales or save the seeds?" is based on Matthew 8:1-17 When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him, and there was a man with a skin disease who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be made clean!” Immediately his skin disease was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will take their places at the banquet with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour. When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were possessed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Works Referenced Case-Winters, Anna. Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Belief: a Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. Kindle edition. Layne, Tawnya. “Healing & Restoration.” Daily Ripple. February 12, 2026. https://dailyripple.substack.com/p/healing-and-restoration McConaghy, Charlotte. Wild Dark Shore. New York City: Flatiron Books, 2025. Kindle edition Powell, Mark Allen. Matthew (Interpretation Bible Commentary). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2025. Kindle edition. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Medium, Twitter, or Tik Tok. Questions? Write us at intertwinedfc@gmail.com.

    13 min
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Intertwined is a faith community in the Harrisburg (PA) area. We explore Christian scripture and life through the lens of ecology.

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