The past two Sundays I have felt compelled to include a prayer "for our enemies" in the Pastoral Prayer section of worship. This is not unique to my style of worship--I often do this. But during Lent it seems doubly important to remember that God's grace and the gift and sacrifice of Jesus Christ isn't... Continue Reading →
Redemption in a Redemptionless Society
Earlier today I read a wonderful article on The Huffington Post about a young person who, seventeen years ago, had broken into an elementary school in a rural area. Although he had never been identified or caught for his crime, the burden of it had apparently weighed on him. He brought the note of confession along... Continue Reading →
Grace Like A Mother’s Love
Apparently, I was giving my mother fits before I was even born. My mother has told me the story many times: The fear was that I was going to born breech. Nothing was persuading me to turn around. It just seemed I was determined to come out backwards--that's me. I do things my own way.... Continue Reading →
Oppressive Skies (A Testimony of Seasonal Affective Disorder and Grace)
This is one of those days... The sky looks like one endless slab of slate and it's hanging low, barely hovering above the tops of the mountains. There is steady drizzle. Just enough to be annoying because there is no speed setting for the windshield wipers to adequately deal with it. Either my vision is... Continue Reading →
Communion, the Kingdom, and Babies
One of the greatest joys I have as a minister is giving communion to children. I love watching the looks on their faces as they receive the bread and dip it into the cup. Once children reach a certain age, they are not so bashful about asking for a big piece or asking for... Continue Reading →
Keeping Up Appearances
When I first moved to Welch I met a young man who was eager to share his testimony. So, one day we sat down at a restaurant and had a nice chat over a piece of pie. The young man, John*, at a young age became very immersed in "biker culture". He never owned his... Continue Reading →
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