A guiding value for Christians is found in the saying of Jesus from Matthew 25:45, “when you did it to the least of these, you also did it to me”. This phrase is one of the most foundational for Christians, guiding our response to pain of the world we believe
Continue readingThe first two Sundays of July were focused on Christian unity. In what has been called “the priestly prayer” from the gospel of John, Jesus prays for his followers. In the setting, Jesus is alone, praying this long prayer. Who wrote down the prayer? Who recorded it? It is a
Continue readingOne out of every three bites of food you eat is the result of a pollinator. Every third bite we take, we should be thanking a pollinator: butterflies, bees, etc. I learned that there is National Pollinator Week: June 20-26. Thank a pollinator you have strawberries, zucchini, avocados, oranges, almonds
Continue reading~Defining Success~ My 8th grade science teacher required a weekly task. Copy a science article. That’s right, copy it. I’m not sure if he thought we’d actually read it as we copied it, or even hoped we might learn something as we copied. Dutifully, every week, I found a science article
Continue readingThere is an orienting principle that can guide us in these times fraught with easy anger and blame. It is the orienting principle preached and lived by Jesus; love God, love your neighbor, love yourself. As I skim re-posted articles on Facebook, letters to the editor and more, the desire
Continue reading~Covenant~ Our congregation is part of a denomination: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Every congregation in our denomination has the right and duty of self-governance. No one from “on high” tells us how to run the church, what we must believe or how to budget our money. We are connected
Continue readingConventional wisdom is that congregations do not grow in numbers if they engage in social action. It is a belief that has been as an excuse to disengage from the world around them, lest someone be offended. There is a very recent challenge to this belief. According to the Church Times,
Continue reading~Resisting the Irresistible~ Do you resist God? Do you find yourself having thoughts of self-judgment: “I should have or shouldn’t have…”? Do you find yourself having thoughts of blame, whether of yourself or others? These internal thoughts and movements are ways we resist God, truly. Softening our own hearts is
Continue reading~Beginning Again~ I determined to explore the writings and life of Howard Thurman more fully, more deeply. Mike took a class on his life and writings and many of his books are in our personal library. I’ve been reading Ph.D. Dissertation ABOUT Dr. Thurman while reading one of his books, The
Continue reading~Barriers & Breakthroughs~ “I want to say how inspired I am by your heroic stories.” Those were Mike’s words of reflection as we went around the circle. Over 30 people gathered to have a conversation. The frame of the conversation was simple: what are the barriers to housing, what made
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