Shocking...that doesn't seem to fit Heartbreaking...that may be better, but doesn't quite get there 500,000 That's the number of COVID deaths we have reached in the United States. In one of the wealthiest, most medically sophisticated countries in the world, over half a million people have died from a virus they knew little to nothing…
Three Things…from Schitt’s Creek: The Rose Family
This week in worship we continued a series called Family Values, looking at the intersection of television and theology. We are looking at what lessons we can learn for our own relationships, both inside family and out. This week, we looked at the Rose family and the people of Schitt's Creek, along with Nicodemus' encounter…
The Gospel According to Christmas Vacation
I was in my early teens when my friends and I went to the movies to see National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. This was one of the first PG-13 movies I remember seeing in the theaters (do you remember those? Before March, we used to go to this building called a theater to see movies) Now…
Election Day
One of the great acts of our democracy is electing the President of the United States. In a divisive election season, the thrill of victory is heightened and the sting of defeat is magnified. We may not also know the results of some races for days. It may very well be a tense time in…
6 Things I’ve Learned at the Church Door
I was thinking the other day about what I miss most about having church in-person. There are many things to miss about not being able to gather in-person and when we do, I suspect church will look different for the foreseeable future. It struck me that I really miss church door conversations. Now, I know…
The Holy Spirit as Agitator
This is an approximation of the words I shared during my sermon on May 31, 2020 on Pentecost The Holy Spirit as Agitator We need an agitator in our collective lives. This has been a tragic week in our nation with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. On a day when we celebrate the…
The Myth of “Seminary Didn’t Prepare Me for This”
I'm kinda over the phrase, "seminary didn't prepare me for this. I know that clergy use it as comic relief and a way to take out frustration, but the truth is that my seminary education (along with other life experience) DID prepare me for leadership during this time. A big shout out today to Candler…
We Don’t Agree…Now What?
“Go along so we can get along” How many times in your life has someone told you that? It’s never felt very good to me, when another tells me that I should conform to expectations, just so we can move along. It does not create a fulfilling life nor needed change. We like unity. We…
4 COVID-19 Church Discoveries
Confession time, I don't like the term new normal. Normal is subjective to one's experience and the word normal implies that we all have the same experiences. We are using so much these days because we simply don't know what else to say. We also don't know what life will look like in the coming months, maybe even years.…
A Pastoral Response to Coronavirus
It seems unreal that a couple of months ago many of us had never heard the word coronavirus.Today, that word dominates much of our conversation, our thoughts, even our actions. I write this as a pastor, not someone with any infectious disease knowledge. You don't need me to tell you to wash your hands. Two…
therevdanny 