ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 19, 2025I’m going to share something personal, though if you know me, you know this isn’t unusual. I find it challenging to share much without offering from my personal story. A little over twenty-seven years ago, I was diagnosed with M.S. At the time, I had a great neurologist and primary care doctor who walked me through the first steps after diagnosis. I also had a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 18, 2025After the death of Moses, God called Joshua into leadership. Someone may feel ready and well prepared for such a task, but there are always those first-day jitters. We can all relate to that experience: first day of school, new relationship, new job, or volunteer experience. In Joshua 1:9, we find the words, “I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 17, 2025As I have been dealing with some pain post-surgery (not too bad), I have tried some different meditation practices. I don’t believe meditation can take away all pain, but I have experienced times when meditation has helped make it feel as if the pain wasn’t quite as consuming. One of my favorite passages in Scripture is the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 16, 2025Prayer for the Week:There are days when we need you to cry with us, and days when we need you to laugh with us. There are times we need you to sit with us in our confusion, frustration, or even our doubts. There are moments when we need you to be a friend who says nothing, allowing your presence to speak louder than any word
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 15, 2025Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” I don’t know about you, but there have been many finite disappointments in my life that have caused me to lose hope. It is troubling how powerful disappointment can be in our lives as it sucks the possible from any future moment, at least for a while. What did
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 14, 2025In rereading my last post (June 11), I realize that I probably should be a bit more cautious about posting while medicated. I believe the post made sense, though it sort of had a rambling and free spirit to it. Pain medication after knee replacement is necessary, but writing a blog while taking heavy-duty drugs (prescribed by a doctor) is probably not wise. With that
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 11, 2025This past Sunday, Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady preached at Cypress Creek Christian Church. Though I was not in attendance, the sermon was brilliant. I watched online the sermon in both the Traditional and Contemporary services. I know ministers who do a lot of preaching have a different ear for sermons. I’m listening for six or seven different qualities, a sort of rubric for evaluating. To
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 10, 2025The greatest Old Testament scholar of our time (my opinion, though I’m not alone), Dr. Walter Brueggemann, died last Friday. I found him brilliant, not because he was born in Nebraska, but because of his capacity to bring alive a passage within its historical context and the quirkiness of ancient Hebrew, while exposing the raw beauty of a people trying to tell their story in
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 9, 2025Yesterday was the first Pentecost Sunday that I was not in a sanctuary (excluding the pandemic) in probably forty years or more. I did watch four services online, and because it’s one of my favorite church holidays, online was not quite the same. If you’ve been around much on Pentecost, then you’ve probably heard me say that one of the many reasons I like Pentecost
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 6, 2025In today’s world, legally changing your name can be quite challenging, yet many individuals do so. Others acquire nicknames through amusing or peculiar events that become enduring. Still others allow life circumstances to rename them in a manner that may not have legal standing but clearly reflects their emotional state. In the Book of Ruth, Naomi changed her name to Mara, the Hebrew word for