The Church has often fallen woefully short of embodying God’s love and many people have found the church anything but Good News. However, all it takes is one disciple and one church to give the skeptical reason to believe that the church has something to offer
Read MoreSo imagine this: Imagine you are in an elevator with someone and you are holding a newsletter from your church, and the other person in the elevator says, “Is that where you go to church?” What would your elevator speech be about your church? You have at most 15 seconds before the elevator gets to their floor.
Read MoreAccording to the Gospel of John, the classical tradition of the church, and mystics like Etty Hillesum, God has already come to be with us before we ever try to open ourselves to God. Our journey is not a search for something we don’t have, but something that has already been given to us.
Read More“You do not know where the wind/Spirit comes from or where it goes.” How unnerving is that? Unnerving because it reminds us we are not in control of this relationship with God, no matter how thoughtful and prayerful we are. Unnerving because it reminds us that we cannot reduce the faith journey to a plan, let alone a plan that we know is in sync with Spirit of God. I am not suggesting that churches don’t need to make plans. I am suggesting that we need to hold them lightly and acknowledge that where we thought we were going may not be where God ends up taking us.
Read MoreWhen we don’t accept ourselves as creatures created in God’s image; when we don’t accept ourselves as “marvelously made” (Ps 139.13); and when we don’t accept that we are loved by God beyond all imagining, we usually begin to build an identity that is a house of cards.
Read MoreThe “rat race” is killing us. Everybody is stressed out and exhausted, and acutely aware that something is missing. The antidote is to slow down and pay attention to the one who has fallen and is in pain.
Read MoreWhat our troubled world needs is not another slick church, but a church that acknowledges that most of the time we just don’t have a clue and therefore our only hope is God. This would be a church where anybody, no matter how messy their life, could find a home.
Read MoreIt is my experience that when we are young we often live in denial. We assume that the uncertainty of life—at least in our case—is an aberration, and one day everything will become much more predictable. As we get older, we begin to realize that fantasy will never come true and reluctantly begin to accept the new reality.
Read MoreWhen we are trying to discern where God is calling us, we need a conversation partner. We need someone whose presence gives us the opportunity to try to express what is going on in our conversation with God.
Read MoreWhen life is full of trials and tribulations, I find it hard to bring all my feelings to God. I realize how quickly I edit my feelings. I don’t find it hard to ask God for help during these times. But if the truth be known, during such difficult times the real issue is not just the need for help, but that I am very frustrated and angry with God and I don’t easily go there.
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