Episcopalians, and I suspect other Christians, spend too much time in their head in worship. The great thing about music is that it gets in your body—in your gut—and you begin to move—albeit in very limited fashion in an Episcopal service! David’s worship was embodied. He was leaping and dancing, and doing so half-naked!
Read MoreA survey conducted by the health company Cigna found that “Nearly half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone or left out.” Perhaps most troubling of all for the future of our society, the survey found that generation Z—those 18—22—is the loneliest generation.
Read MoreWords matter. We only need to look at the divisions in our society. The enormous divide in our politics is driven by whether we listen to the words of Fox News or MSNBC. The tragedy for the church is not so much, which news outlet has our ear. The tragedy is that we have allowed our lives to be governed by these words and not the ones in the Bible. As a result, we see the issues of the day through the lens of one of the media outlets and not the Word of God
Read MoreThe Bible isn’t good advice; it is Good News. Good News about what God is doing in the world. Good News about how much God loves and cares about us. The Bible constantly reorients us to what will bring us life.
Read MoreIf at some point in the past you have been diminished by the church, your worst fear is that it will happen again. Your worst fear is that what the church says and how they live will be disconnected. It is extraordinarily healing when those fears don’t come true and a person is welcomed as they are.
Read MoreYoung people, and people of all ages for that matter, are transformed by a community that lives an alternative way because they have given their obedience to God. The best church school program in the world won’t form our children in the faith unless we show our children what faithful lives look like.
Read MoreIf we are longing for a deeper connection to God, maybe the key will be a deeper connection to the humanity of Jesus.
Read MoreWe don’t read the Bible to find good advice. We read the Bible to see things we otherwise wouldn’t see. If such a text has done that for you, how about sharing it in response to this blog. What text has been an epiphany for you?
Read MoreIf we see the world through the lens of the Christmas story, we see where God is at work. He is working through ordinary folk without the resources and connections of the aristocracy, who would indeed appear a bit vulgar and unrefined to the more sophisticated.
Read MoreIs it possible that the church’s decline in numbers and influence in this country is an opportunity for the church to recover a more authentic vocation? If we are truly honest with ourselves, a church that is faithful to the Gospel probably won’t be all that attractive to many.
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