“Why don’t the pastors give ‘the invitation’ after the sermon anymore?” The Elders have discussed this and it was a topic of conversation at the General Board meeting a number of years ago. Among congregations that identify as Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) many still offer “the invitation” to confess
Continue reading
“Each one of us is the custodian of an inner world that we carry around with us.” John O’Donahue Sabbatical was a season of deepening my capacity to be the custodian of my own inner world, taking more responsibility for the landscape of my soul. How is it with your
Continue reading
I like to see how things work. When I was a child, my wondering about the workings of the universe, or as I knew it, my dad’s garage, was a place of endless joy to me. If you had asked my dad about it, he would have said that it
Continue reading
Sunday afternoon Julie and I were driving through San Dimas and saw a church sign with the intriguing phrase: “Can Women Preach?”. My usual sarcastic response was No! but Julie said, “Too late.” All who go to this church would dismiss this sign out of hand. We’ve had a women
Continue readingPentecost is upon us. The event is like a fairy-tale to me: the physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit in tongues of fire, the disciples doing things they had never done before, and finally the proclamation and change in the crowd. These events are hard to relate to for some.
Continue readingTime flies; I feel it more than ever as I have gotten older. When I was a kid, days, weeks and months seemed to last forever. The school year was endless; for that matter the school day was endless. The outside world was always calling, Mr. Hoff would have to
Continue readingExperiences in other worship settings and even secular locations prompt me to wonder how communities create and hold sacred space, and transitional spaces. This is the organizing principle of sabbatical time, gifted to me by you the congregation. The time of my sabbatical leave is April 27 to July 27.
Continue reading
Sabbatical is a time to lie fallow, not be too concerned with producing results. For pastors, it is a time in which one can step away from the daily demands and routines of congregational life for intellectual and spiritual growth, for respite. I am deeply grateful to serve a congregation
Continue reading
Because there are people who are explicit in their hating. When I was 14, I had a crush on a boy in school: old story. What was unusual was his use of the swastika; he’d drawn it on his book covers and other various places. It never occurred to me
Continue reading
When I was in elementary school, around this time of year, I remember friends of mine would suddenly say at lunch, “Oh I can’t eat that; I gave it up for Lent.” What was this “Lent” of which they spoke with such authority and finality? They never seemed to know,
Continue reading
