We are a Mission Church. I had just spoken these words to our accountant who comes in quarterly to help us keep current with taxes and the like. She looked a little confused. Then a young man came into the office. He had the tell-tale number tattoo on the side of his head. He asked … Continue reading The Mission Field
Category: Church
An Old Fashioned Altar Call
An Epiphany! I love it when I get to have an epiphany! It is like the moment when, in your head, pops the word you need to finish the crossword puzzle but 100 times better because it isn’t only an answer you find but God. Of course, it is the wrong season for Epiphany. Today is … Continue reading An Old Fashioned Altar Call
Speaking Jesus
Christianity certainly has a rich back story found in the Hebrew scriptures. But today I’m more interested in the “after story,” what happens when the final scene has ended. The gospel of John tells the story of Jesus but is written long after Jesus died; long after the resurrection encounters. Yet, despite John being the … Continue reading Speaking Jesus
An Easter Call
Easter morning—He is Risen!—He is Risen, Indeed! Sin and Salvation Jonathan Edwards shouts out We are sinners in the hands of an angry God Look what we have done To ourselves Our neighbors Our nation Our world Our God Look at what we haven’t done For ourselves Our neighbors Our nation Our world Our God … Continue reading An Easter Call
Far and Wide
In seminary at Yale Divinity School I was awed to find myself in a vast landscape--that of the Christian witness spoken through the centuries. My perspective, having grown up in the Southern California United Church of Christ, was limited by comparison. I realized I had only seen faith from one small corner of scholarship in … Continue reading Far and Wide
The Sixth Day 