Category Archives: Christianity

Broken World, Christianity, Community, Healing, Hope, Uncategorized

New Life Is Coming…?

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The pages of the calendar say it’s a new year. The old has passed away and the new has come.  The bearded and bent man has shuffled off the stage, replaced by the infant of expectation.  And what has come with this change?  What is different?

We’re still talking about violence in Syria, fear of ISIS, and outlandish statements made by politicians.  There are still hungry folks in the world. Trouble still stalks the night, claiming victims of the street, victims in their homes.  Emergencies still interrupt and we are often caught by surprise. Continue reading New Life Is Coming…? →

Christianity, Community, Discipleship, Gospel, Healing, Hope, Resurrection, Sermon, Trust

On Holy Cross Day

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Just over a year ago, I stood in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. I looked at its plain exterior and remembered the wonder of the first time I had been there. Twenty some years had passed. Since then, I’ve Continue reading On Holy Cross Day →

Christianity, Communication, Community, Discipleship, Mission, Uncategorized

5 Things I’m Learning in VBS

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This week my congregation is deeply involved in Vacation Bible School.  We have ninety-one energized kids dancing, singing, playing, and teasing their way through the day. I’ve been leading the opening and closing, singing with the kids, dressing up in costume, and engaging them with large group games. I’m deeply blessed to have Continue reading 5 Things I’m Learning in VBS →

Christianity, God's Intended World, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Trinity

God does Good Things!

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We rejoice in what God does because God saves us. That’s the heart of the gospel.  From sin, death and the power of all that is evil, God in Jesus sets us free.  God is at work in the world, seeking to Continue reading God does Good Things! →

Challenge, Change, Christianity, Transformation

Toward a New Church

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Many hands have been wrung, brows furrowed, and laments raised over the church’s uncertain future. In some church such wrestling has been going on in earnest since the 1980s. Other congregations are just now starting to Continue reading Toward a New Church →

Challenge, Change, Christianity

The Shattering of Crystal

Mainline denominational churches have been experiencing shifts in membership and participation for thirty or more years. Attendance is down, congregations have become significantly older, and communities are struggling to figure out what’s going on. For a long time,
Continue reading The Shattering of Crystal →

Christianity, Discipleship, Missional Leadership

Why I Went Back to School

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Questions I carried with me in my early years of ministry have changed. It was during my second call as an ordained pastor that I began to realize the shifts under way in the church and in me. In February 1999 I began Continue reading Why I Went Back to School →

Christianity, Communication

Speaking in Newer Tongues

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Communication has become very fragmented in the world. Gone are the days when we could get word out with a simple announcement in a worship bulletin and a blurb in the newsletter. Communication today happens quickly and though we may speak in the same languages, we need to Continue reading Speaking in Newer Tongues →

Christianity, Conflict in the Church, God's Intended World, Missional Leadership, Reconciliation

What I Want the Crabby Guy to Know

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Dear Crabby One,  Something pretty amazing happened recently. You apologized for harsh words spoken. You really surprised me and I was Continue reading What I Want the Crabby Guy to Know →