February 21, 2023 —
Our book group started a new series on Climate Science the other evening. We had a choice of two books. I chose Unsettled by Steven E. Koonin, a Cal Tech physicist who had been the Undersecretary for Science in the U.S. Department of Energy in the Obama Administration. The book was a surprise to me. I had... Read More
February 20, 2023 —
Over the weekend I read two posts about the revival going on at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. It began February 8 and has been continuous since then. And I mean, really continuous, 24/7. Here’s a moving post from the Free Press. That story begins with a young man named Gracie Turner, a student at Asbury.... Read More
February 15, 2023 —
Does the current, if temporary, status of abortion suggest a solution, of sorts, on guns? The abortion “solution” has, in effect, been to return the matter to the states to decide. We now have a checkerboard of different laws, varying state to state. In my outrage and frustration with gun violence, I wonder if we... Read More
February 14, 2023 —
On more than one occasion over the years I have “explained” to couples and congregations that Paul’s “hymn to love,” I Corinthians 13, is not really about romantic love or the love between two people at all. It is, I pointed out, about the absence of love in a church. Paul wrote to a congregation,... Read More
February 12, 2023 —
I first wrote about the “He Gets Us” Campaign last fall when it began to show up during the baseball playoffs. Any other year, I would have missed the ads, since the Seattle Mariners hadn’t been in the playoffs for 21 years. But because they finally ended the playoff drought last fall I saw the... Read More
February 9, 2023 —
Perhaps, you have seen David Brooks’s recent piece on “How Do You Serve a Friend Who Is in Despair.” But I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss this one, as well as adding some perspective of my own. Brooks writes of his long-time friend, Peter Marks, beginning with the antics and joy of their boyhood... Read More
February 7, 2023 —
I’m not preaching this Sunday, but I am thinking about those of you that are, and who are grappling with a tough text. Namely, the so called “anti-theses” of the Sermon on the Mount. Each follows the pattern of “You have heard it said,” then Jesus saying, “But I say to you.” That latter bit... Read More
February 6, 2023 —
The other evening at a dinner party we met a lovely Australian gal who spoke about her elderly mum’s recent move to a supportive living situation. She and her brother were helping with the move. Her brother was on about mum’s collection of “God-bothering” paraphernalia and what in the world to do with it all.... Read More
February 4, 2023 —
The Urgency of Grace* Matthew 5: 13 – 20 February 5, 2023, Guemes Island Community Church First, here is the link to the audio recording of the sermon on zoom. Written text follows. Audio should not require a password. Simply click on this, then on the zoom link that appears. After you start the audio,... Read More
February 2, 2023 —
Urgency. I liked this from Dave Zahl’s talk, “The Urgent Hope of Unreasonable Mercy,” at the Mockingbird Orlando Conference last month. “I don’t know about you, but I happen to find any kind of talk of Christianity that isn’t understood as urgent to be boring. We tend to focus on all these little behavioral issues,... Read More
Upcoming Webinar: What’s Theology Got to Do with It?
For congregations seeking renewed purpose and vitality this book gets to the heart of the matter. One of the leading voices on congregational life and leadership, Anthony Robinson makes the case that congregations should openly express their beliefs and values to clarify their purpose. Doing so opens up new avenues for transforming worship, promoting spiritual formation, and forwarding a church’s mission. The wisdom invested in this book is powerful enough to shape a ministry and lead a congregation to its call.