A couple months ago, I was listening to an audio book about St. Francis in which the author discussed how monks in medieval times would have written. Unlike me, who jots my thoughts down on anything from scraps of paper to smart notebooks, Francis would not have had access to such things. Francis' writings, like... Continue Reading →
Philippians 3:17-20 Being Methodist, I practice a Wesleyan tradition of the Christian faith. Part of this calls for "Holy Living". While we acknowledge (as we did in yesterday's study) that our salvation isn't tied to our good behavior or right-living, we also know that our relationship with Christ does not give us the license to... Continue Reading →
Philippians 3:2-12 Salvation is not dependent upon how closely we can follow lists of rules and commands; yet, most of us Christians fall into the trap of describing faith in moralistic terms (if you're good enough, you'll get into heaven). I know that I am certainly guilty of allowing my walk with Christ to be... Continue Reading →
Luke 21:34-22:6 Judas. A name to be spoken under the crushing weight of looming shadows. Judas is up to no good. When we hear his name spoken, we cringe a bit. Because we know that what will follow will be trouble. We've been given the spoilers and we know that he turns out to be... Continue Reading →
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and John 12:27-36 In a heavily divided society our churches sometimes argue about what exactly the church is called to do. I often dread these discussions as a pastor. I'm a people-pleaser and I desire to be a peacemaker. Conflict sends my blood pressure into orbit and I lose way too much sleep.... Continue Reading →
Exodus 6:1-13 The cries of the people poured from their hearts and rose to God's ears. Disturbed by the lack of justice happening on earth, seeing an entire race of people enslaved, witnessing the cruelties of the ruling class, God determines to make "momentous events of justice happen." Those events were huge, indeed. So huge... Continue Reading →
Isaiah 58:1-12 Many years ago I bought an old house which had sat empty and in ill-repair for several years. It was a fixer-upper, but having been the house my grandparents built, I had the sentimental motivation to roll up my sleeves and make it mine. The most pressing issue was the horrible state... Continue Reading →
I find myself navigating through life in a cycle of certain habits. Late in the evening, the dog and I walk down to the dock behind the city building and I sit in silence. It is a time of prayer. A time of solace. A time just to listen to what God is saying to... Continue Reading →
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