Zanah. Maybe that word doesn't mean much of anything to you, and why should it? It's Hebrew. It's old. And if you are anything like me, you don't really have much of a reason to look up old Hebrew words. But as I sat down to do my Bible study for today, I found myself... Continue Reading →
Several conversations lately have left me staggering to make sense out of how we assign blame to people who are suffering. The first came as we were discussing the plight of minimum wage workers and the current debate about raising the federal minimum wage. In the midst of the conversation the subject of the woman... Continue Reading →
"Jane" had just learned that her niece, "Leslie", had begun living with her long-time boyfriend. Leslie, knowing her Aunt Janie would take offense to her decision, had debated long and hard about whether or not she should tell her about the decision they had made. Ultimately, Leslie decided honesty was the most important component of... Continue Reading →
Dear "Unchurched" Friends, I don't blame you. I don't blame you at all for not wanting to go to church. In fact, there are times when I think that if the circumstances of my life had been different--if I didn't have a calling to the ministry, if I hadn't been raised in a strong church-going... Continue Reading →
Today, I was inspired by a question raised by one of my old seminary classmates, Jerry Herships. Jerry is a comedian-turned-minister and his ministry in Denver with the homeless and the unchurched has been a true inspiration to me. Today, he posed a simple request on his Facebook page. He wanted to know about our... Continue Reading →
"We believe Christ to be the eternal, supreme God...but as to all opinions which do not strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think." ~ John Wesley, On The Character of a Methodist This has long been one of my favorite quotes from John Wesley. Even as a youth, years before I... Continue Reading →
There I was, minding my own business. I had my nose in a book (surprise! surprise!) I had my usual seat at Starbucks--camped out at my favorite table with access to an electrical outlet for my battery-challenged computer... and he walked in. He got all of our attention. The place practically stopped in its tracks. The guy... Continue Reading →
Dr. Vincent Harding passed away suddenly Monday night. He would've been 83 years old this summer. Many of you probably don't know who he is, which I guess is fitting, because he was a humble man who was never interested in fame and glory. His heart belonged to Christ, and his life was spent working... Continue Reading →
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm... Continue Reading →
"Tex, we've got a lot of street folk coming, and we're building relationships with them, but we don't have any prostitutes. Now, Jesus loved prostitutes! So, we need to find a way to connect with some. What we need you to do is to help arrange a meeting with some prostitutes." Needless to say, as... Continue Reading →
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