O God, I want so to belong; teach me to accept. I want to be close; teach me to reach out. I want a place where I am welcome; teach me to open my arms. I want mercy; teach me to forgive. I want beauty; teach me honesty. I want peace; show me the eye of...
September 11, 2019 Blog Post 9/11. Where were you the morning of September 11, 2001? For many of us, there are memories and images from that day that are forever seared into our psyches. There have been other such national events: the bombing of Pearl Harbor,...
As I write this blog, Hurricane Dorian is off the coast of the southeastern United States battering the coastline with 120-mile an hour winds and dumping torrential amounts of rainfall. The pictures coming out of the Bahamas, where Dorian struck earlier this week as a...
August 29, 2019 Hardly a week goes by that I don’t hear someone bemoan the state of affairs in our public discourse. From family, friends, neighbors, and parishioners alike I hear laments of the incivility, the lack of respect, the name calling, the polarization coming from...
Within the past month, two stories have appeared in the newspaper that put the randomness of life on vivid display. In one instance, the randomness was tragic; in the other, inspirational. The two events both occurred on beaches, but the beaches were over 5000 miles apart. ...
This summer I have been preaching through the Minor Prophets. There are twelve of these Old Testament books, and they are called “minor” not because of their relative importance, but because of their length. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and I’ve learned a lot. ...
Fall Worship Schedule 2019 “Walking Wet” series Coming this Fall: "Walking Wet". Water plays a central role in the stories of scripture, from the chaotic waters of creation, to the River of Life in Revelation, where chaos is no more. Sometimes there is too much water (think Noah);...
Much has been made of the decline of the Church, particularly mainline churches, over the past several decades. Dropping attendance, inability to maintain buildings and property, loss of influence in the public sphere, the emergence of the “spiritual but not religious”—take your pick, there...
As someone responsible for the care and safety of children, I am bewildered that we have to once again address the issue of gun violence, shaken after waking to the news of not one, but two mass shootings. The unfortunate reality is that we MUST provide...
Last week I wrote about the phrase “a new normal” and how it has unceremoniously (and without invitation) dumped itself into my life. This week I want to continue my “phraseology” theme by considering what it means to “stay in my own lane.” We all know...