On Sunday, we started a two week mini-series on how we can use the gifts God has given us to strengthen both the church and the world. Jesus didn’t come only to help us have a personal relationship with God. He also intends for us to build each other up... read more →
Aug
08
Aug
01
Why do we come to church every week? The point of our faith isn’t to be better people, to live in community, or for some need of ours to be met. Those are all gifts from God, but they aren’t the reason for our faith. The object of our worship... read more →
Jul
25
I learned at a young age that food is about much more than sustenance. It’s about community, family, and love. The feeding of the five thousand is John’s Communion story, and it perfectly demonstrates the principle that if there isn’t enough room at the table, you build a bigger table.... read more →
Jul
18
Green pastures are a gift from God. They are sculpted out of earth and sky to be places that still our hearts and minds. They are formed by people sent by God to love us well. The psalmist says, "the Lord is my shepherd....He makes me lie down in green pastures." Passing by... read more →
Jul
11
The death of John the Baptist is a gruesome and alarming story. Why is it included in Mark’s Gospel, and why do we read it in church? Its inclusion seems to foreshadow not only Jesus’ Passion, but also the sacrifice made by the Apostles. This story is crying out to... read more →
Jul
04
We think of failure as some thing to be avoided at all costs, but what we forget is that failure is a chance for a new start. There are examples all through the Bible of people who failed with grace. That means they brushed themselves off, took a deep breath,... read more →
Jun
27
The poet R.S. Thomas writes about Michelangelo's fresco The Creation of Adam which is on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In the fresco, Adam reaches toward God who is already reaching toward Adam, their fingers almost touch. The narrator of the poem cannot see God in the darkness within him nor in... read more →
Jun
20
Prayer redeems us from isolation and assures us that we are not alone and abandoned. God is always actively involved in your life. Instead of trying to force Him to do what you want, when you want it, relax and look for what He is already doing. Live in a... read more →
Jun
13
Jesus constantly uses agrarian parables to describe the Kingdom of God because they evoke a sense of growth, vitality, and life. He says that the Kingdom of God is dependent on God, is already here, and is growing and flourishing. How can we see the Kingdom of God more clearly?... read more →
Jun
06
God's discipline is always connected to God’s love, but that doesn’t mean that the consequences of sin can be ignored. Justice is necessary so that mercy will have a foothold in us. They go hand-in-hand. In God's response to Adam and Eve’s original sin, we find the perfect intermingling of... read more →