Who We Are series – Our Heart for Service We’ve been on this journey through our Congregationalist heritage Our Biblical Roots – our origins in Scripture Our Historic Roots – our origins in history Bonded Together in Covenant – our living in voluntary covenant Faith & Conflict – our growing in faith through conflict A…
Who We Are: Our Biblical Roots Ever Struggle to Explain what Congregationalism is? What’s in the tote? District Video Conference I was asked, “Aren’t they kind of different?” Understanding where we came from, what we believe & Who We Are Where Two or Three are Gathered Matthew 18:18-20 The Presence of Christ, not government authority…
World Communion Sunday – Solidarity/Healing A Handmade Palestinian Christian Cross Picked specifically for me at my ordination Solidarity with an overlooked & misunderstood people Reminded of World Communion Sunday, Solidarity w/Global Church A World in Dire Need of Reconciliation Listening and Understanding seem to be out of style Division and Hatred and Selfishness abounds Take…
What kind of king rides into town on a donkey? What’s all this ruckus about palm branches? The history of welcoming kings The kind of king that Israel expected … Political King – Saul, David, Solomon Religious King – Abraham, Moses Rebel King (from Romans) – Macabees Imagine that King … imagine the citizens of…
Okay, so now what? Is it safe to say this is the $65,000 question? “What are we going to do now?” If you know me well enough, and I think many of you do, then you know what my answer will be: Go to God. Whenever I need an answer or have a problem that needs fixing, God is my go to…
Today is the fifth Sunday of Easter, and as we await the ascension of Christ, the lectionary sends us back to class to sit in the uncomfortable desks of the Upper Room. It was here Jesus gave his final lecture to his disciples. It’s our turn to be his students. This is not a time to take notes. Instead it’s a time…
Thursday morning I woke up, turned on the TV, and cried. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. For the record, this was not a sobbing kind of cry. Instead it was one of those boo-hoo sessions because my heart was feeling both happy and sad at the same time. Has this ever happened to any of you? Oh yeah? Has it…
For many of you it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn the Apostle Paul patterned his life after Jesus. Yes, he was “a rebel, an outlaw, a renegade, and a sanctified troublemaker,” as Mark Driscoll so aptly describes. Paul was also single, homeless, lived by other’s welfare and charity, and was hated so much by the religious and political elites that he…
Readings: Revelations 1:3-8; Philippians 1:3-19 Open with a story about my kids playing Wii. It’s a story of filling the house with laughter and joy… What kind of things do you think about when you hear the word ‘joy?’ Is there something in particular that triggers an emotional feeling within you? Is it a particular place or a person, or an object? An…
Have you ever uttered this phrase: “Lord, how much can a person bear?” If so, did you scream it out loud? Or did you stew on it silently within yourself, too afraid of sounding unfaithful? Either way, you are not alone. In fact, this is the number one question I am most frequently asked. “How much can a person bear?” This is…