2020 is here and if you attended a religious community this weekend, you have perfect attendance for the year. Congratulations! A new year brings new opportunity and a chance to reset our priorities and practices. Church folks are busy taking down the Advent and Christmas decorations and thinking about what 2020 might hold. Many are…
Worthy
One of the great promises of scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is that you belong. You are worthy. We don't tell ourselves that enough. It's something we don't tell others enough. It's something we don't proclaim in church enough. I once had a conversation with a young adult who had grown up in our church.…
The Important Truth in Every Hallmark Christmas Movie
I enjoy bad television. i don’t mean legitimately bad television, rather television that knows it’s bad, but pretends to be good in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way. During Christmas, that means lots of time spent with the various Hallmark channels. I can’t believe I just wrote that! Mary Michael and I have even come up with our…
The Music is Always Louder Than the Crying
Advent is my favorite liturgical season. I love the anticipation and expectation that a new hope will soon be born into the world. Lord knows, the world needs something. Long ago, the majority of those living under the rule of the Roman Empire was waiting on a long-awaited Messiah to bring light to their darkness.…
5 Things for Which I Am Thankful for at Thanksgiving
2018 has been giving 2017 a run for its money when it comes to civil dysfunction. Let’s be honest; things aren’t exactly getting better in our political and civil discourse. As a Jesus follower, my predisposition is towards hope, but that’s not exactly an easy path on some days. As we slow down and prepare…
Tuesday-Jesus’ Final Exam
We come to Tuesday of Jesus’ Final Week. Much of Tuesday will be spent teaching in the courtyard of the temple. Mark’s Narrative of Tuesday covers almost 3 chapters, a total of 115 verses. It is by far the longest of the days in scripture. Almost two-thirds of the time is spent in conflict…
“Loving On Each Other” as a Poor Substitute for Real Love
“We just need to love on each other” I’ve learned that this phrase, used even by a well-meaning person, typically means that we are going to do nothing to improve the individual or collective well-being. Often it is served up with a side dish of judgement, while having an excuse for not leaving one’s comfort…
Advent 4 and Christmas Eve
"Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts." Marianne Williamson The account of Jesus' birth that we hear today is the foundation of a way of life. The birth of Jesus is…
Harry Potter
We just unpacked our collection of Harry Potter books. They are considered valuables in our household, with our nine-year-old making her way through Chamber of Secrets as we speak. It’s hard to believe that the first Harry Potter book was published twenty years ago today. J.K. Rowling blessed us with this magical world that teaches us…
The Power of Love
It's Valentine's Day, which originally began in the church, of all places, as a feast for the saint Valentinus. The story goes that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for those who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to followers of Christ who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. As the story goes, he…
