At the Intersection of Christian Faith, Worldviews, Nature, and the Arts
When the Unthinkable Becomes Your Reality... What follows is a message I preached on October 20, 2024. The sermon was a departure from my norm. Rather than sitting with a particular piece of scripture and mining it for its wisdom, I moved through a series of poems, passages of scripture, and devotional messages that have …
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Sunday's palms are Wednesday's ashes as another Lent begins; Thus we kneel before the Maker in contrition for our sins. We have marred baptismal pledges, in rebellion gone astray; Now returning, seek forgiveness; grant us pardon, God, this day! We have failed to love our neighbors, their offenses to forgive, Have not listened to their …
James 1:26; 3:1-12 In the early 1970s, comedian George Carlin made headlines across the world with his “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television.” He began the routine by saying, "There are 400,000 words in the English language, and there are seven of them you can't say on television. What a ratio that is: …
Like Muir, I'm a saunterer!!! Hiking—"I don't like the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains—not hike! Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the …
“There is a time for everything and a season for every purpose under heaven.” Time. From time to time. For the time-being. Time-honored, timeless, timely, time-sharing, time-worn. Time heals all wounds. Time wounds all heels. Time is always a circus packing up and moving away. Living is entirely too time-consuming. Time and tide wait for …
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Isaiah 9:1a, 2, 6 and 7; Luke 2:11; Romans 15:4 Hope. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines hope as the wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment or the theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with the help of God. Emily …
Mark 1:1-8 His name was John. People knew him locally as the Baptist. Some would say of him that he was a religious eccentric. Others, less kind, would dismiss him as a flake. He wasn’t a "how to win friends and influence people" kinda guy. He seems something of an odd choice of one to …
Continue reading "Point to the Prince of Peace: Prepare the Way"
I just placed a Christmas flag at the end of our drive that reads: "Joy to the World, the Lord has come." And, at the center of the front lawn, I set letters that spell out the word "JOY." In the "O" of JOY is a rendering of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and alongside the …
I have adapted the following from the Book of Common Prayer and personalized the words by changing the plurals to singulars that I might offer this confession as an individual. Perhaps you'll feel led to join me in lifting this. Almighty and most merciful Father, I have erred, and strayed from Your ways like a …
The teachings of Jesus hit us where we live. We cannot stand as impostors before Him for even one second. He instructs us down to the very last detail. The Spirit of God uncovers our spirit of self-vindication and makes us sensitive to things that we have never even thought of before. When Jesus drives …
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