“Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age, I am he, even when you turn gray I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry …
A look at the meaning of Christmas through the lens of Charles Wesley’s famous carol… One of the great parts about the Christmas season is the music of the carols. Some of those carols are old favorites (Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful) and some are just for fun (Jingle Bells, We Wish You …
Last night was Halloween, which is a “holiday” that just about everyone celebrates in one form or another. Our subdivision was filled last night with little (and, disturbingly, not-so-little) ghouls and goblins trooping from door to door in search of this year’s cache of sugary loot. But while you may be waking up this morning …
Grave Matters – A Meditation for All Saints Day Continue Reading »
How many times should I forgive? As much as we have been forgiven… Deuteronomy 15:1-6; Matthew 18:21-35 During the LA riots over the Rodney King verdict in 1992, truck driver Reginald Denny unknowingly swung his 18-wheeler into the middle of the crowd, where he was dragged from his truck and viciously beaten within an inch …
Emergency food drive for Tri-Lakes Cares and victims of the Black Forest Fire Well, it’s already the Labor Day weekend. Hard to believe that summer has gone by so fast, even though we’ve had our challenges during this season with fires and floods. As we move toward autumn, we continue to remember those who have …
I got up this morning completely focused on working on my sermon for this Sunday. Preachers who read this blog will know what it’s like to have that kind of mid-week tunnel vision that is so focused on Sunday that every thought and idea tends to relate to the text for the week. In this …
Isaiah 43:1-5, 18-21 Normally, I begin each service by welcoming everyone and saying something like, “It’s good to be in God’s house today.” I think on this particular Sunday we can all say that with greater conviction than usual. This has been a week that none of us will forget—a week where it is good …
A few years ago I was at a retreat for pastors where we were asked to draw a timeline of our spiritual lives, charting the ups and downs of all the things that we had experienced so far. When I looked at mine I noticed some significant peaks and valleys—times when I felt that spiritual …
Prayer: The Base Camp of the Christian Life Continue Reading »
Mark 12:28-34 When I was a kid we used to take long car trips to my grandparents’ place several times a year. While it was only about an hour and a half drive, to my sisters and me it was an eternity. I remember my youngest sister was the most impatient and just about every …
It's been an eventful day so far at General Conference, with several actions that have significant implications for the way our denomination is structured and the United Methodist Church's influence in the world. Here are some of the highlights and links to detailed articles. Delegates voted in favor of adopting the compromise "Plan UMC" with …
Starbucks Corp. is telling its harried baristas to slow down—which may result in longer lines. via online.wsj.com An interesting article and, in many ways, a sign of the times. We're often in such a hurry for something good that the need to wait a few minutes for something better is pushed aside. One of the …
Starbucks Baristas Told to Slow Down – WSJ.com Continue Reading »
Been away from the blog for a bit as we’ve been consumed with our move from Park City, UT to Monument, CO. We’re now in our new house and stuff is slowly getting put away. I moved into my new church office today but am waiting on some graciously-donated bookshelves to house my library. Tomorrow …
via sports.espn.go.com Check out Rick Reilly's hilarious take on the World Cup!
We’ve been having a great time over the past couple of weeks on Wednesday nights for our “Common Ground” discussions between Christians and Jews. Rabbi Josh and I have been really excited—we had more than a hundred folks last Wednesday night at Temple Har Shalom and we’ll be back here this week talking about the …
Reading: Luke 18:18-25 When I was in college I majored in history and spent two summers guiding at Gettysburg National Military Park, site of the famous Civil War battle. During those two summers I heard some very interesting questions coming from tourists who clearly hadn’t studied up on their history. Usually these questions were asked …