ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 5, 2026 I have been reflecting on a quote from Nelson Mandela: “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” How do I approach the day, the decisions that I make for myself, and the priorities for how my time will be spent in my ministry? Digging deeper, are there unspoken fears that are driving my sense of purpose? I would really like to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 4, 2026 Jesus hopefully loves me, I wish I knew. For some say the Bible Tell us how to earn that love. I don’t know if I good enough. Ok, I know this rewrite of the children’s song does not rhyme, and the meter doesn’t come close to working, but I am amazed at how people are left feeling as if the love of God
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 3, 2026 I have been working with some folks as they prepare for baptism, and one of the clear messages I have tried to communicate is that baptism is a gift. In some traditions, and at multiple times in Christian history, baptism has been a requirement for salvation, and not only a requirement, but one that only the church (often a specific church) could offer.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 2, 2026 Prayer for the Week: Holy God, Awesome and Creative Spirit, you remain at work in this world. Open the eyes of our hearts that we might see what we have not previously been able to see. Wherever judgement begins to find its way into our minds and seeks to make its way out of our mouths, stir within us a curiosity that comes
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 1, 2026 Today, as we conclude our series on Mindfulness, we will focus our attention on curiosity, which I will suggest is one of the more important attributes when it comes to being a human being. With that in mind, I invite you to ponder the words of Albert Einstein: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 31, 2026 What does it mean to be an ‘Esther 4’ kind of person? If you remember, in the Book of Esther, we find the Jewish people at a moment when their existence was threatened. Esther, a Jewish woman (though most folks did not realize she was Jewish), found herself in a place of privilege, yet there was still a risk if Esther was to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 30, 2026 Have you ever felt like you were not going to make it to your destination? Yesterday, I visited someone at the Medical Center downtown, and the trip home left me feeling like a pinball in a pinball machine. My map rerouted me five times to save time, yet what was to be a one-hour and nine-minute drive back to the church ended up
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 29, 2026 Yesterday, I took an online class with Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes, from Union Theological Seminary. The title of the class was, “Only Prayer Can Save Us! How to Stay Alive and Sustain Our People During These Times.” There were so many good sources of nourishment in his words. He reminded us how important it is that we go deeper into our spiritual well. If
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 28, 2026 I have started and erased, started and erased this Etching more times than I care to admit. My words have represented a bit of a word salad, with spurts and sputters of frustration and utter nonsense. There are days when an idea flows, and other days where it might take me a little longer. And then there are days like this one where
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 27, 2026 My good friend and colleague in ministry, Rev. Michael Junkroski, wrote the following (I am including only a portion, though you’ll find the link to the full article below)… I like Jesus. I might even go so far as to say I “love” Jesus, but I’m cautious in an era where loving Jesus seems to mean embracing authoritarianism — a development over which