Most weeks after worship I offer a 30-minute “let’s talk about what we just heard” experience that I call Sermon Talk Back. It is very informal, highly interactive, and I love it. I love it because it lets me know what folks in my congregation...
Several weeks ago someone in my church shared this quote with me. It has been on top of my “inbox” ever since, and every so often it catches my attention and I read it again. Today I realized what an apt description of Advent it...
As is the case for every minister I know, long before the Thanksgiving turkey goes in the oven we are already thinking about Advent. This is especially true when the first Sunday of Advent falls on Thanksgiving weekend, as it does this year. It sometimes...
Our nation's unity begins with respect! In the final days of this year’s election, even before the voting booths opened, talk of unity and healing was already beginning. In what many pundits and pollsters have called the most divisive election in U.S. history, folks were...
Finally, it’s nearly here. Which means it’s nearly over. I have been ready for this election to be over for months already, and I know I am not alone. For one thing, I am hoping my phone will stop ringing so much. My phone number...
This Sunday my church, along with many other churches around the country and around the world, will mark the 499th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. October 31, 1517 is the date we Protestants commemorate Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the...
While I am away, one more prayer from Guerrillas of Grace: Let Wonder Have Its Way with Me O God, your gracious Spirit moves over the mysteries of living and dying and is strangely present to me in the falling leaves, the call of the wild geese, a child’s birth, the light in...
Last week I shared some reflections on prayer. To continue that theme, today I share with you a prayer from a beautiful collection of prayers entitled, Guerrillas of Grace, written by Ted Loder. If you happen to feel harried or overwhelmed, I hope this prayer will...
Is there anything more enigmatic in all the world than prayer? Prayer is a core practice for people of faith whether they adhere to Christianity, Judaism or Islam. I can only speak for my own faith tradition and my own personal experiences in prayer, of...
How do you handle difficult people? Difficult people are a fact of life. There is no escaping the reality that some people pose ongoing challenges for us, and those challenges can come in a variety of forms. There are the constant complainers or whiners; the malignant...