ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 2, 2025In 1st Thessalonians 5:14, we read:And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. Many of us are good at recognizing the problems in someone else’s life, and we feel pretty confident that we have the solution to those problems. As I often say, “I can live other people’s lives much better than
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 1, 2025Erma Bombeck wrote, “Dreams have only one owner at a time. That’s why dreamers are lonely.” I agree, yet I disagree. There is real truth to the dreamer who sees what others cannot see or refuses to see, and for that reason, the dreamer can feel very alone in that dreaming. But dreams are contagious, and because dreams are contagious, they often infect a handful
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 31, 2025It’s the last day of July and my first day back in the office. It feels a little like the first day back to school after summer break. It’s been a few years, but I can still remember the emotion. There was excitement, nervousness, and especially as I was moving to a new school, a whole lot of uncertainty. I’m returning to the same church,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 30, 2025I caught part of a science show on TV the other day, and the question being asked was, “How much energy does it take…?” Though they were measuring the amount of joules required to move certain objects, my mind instantly went to a related question that only a minister would ask. I wanted to know how much energy it takes to forgive as compared to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 29, 2025I cannot believe my sabbatical is coming to an end. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but that’s not a negative. Anytime you have surgery as I did, you’re not absolutely sure how you’re going to respond. Most of it has gone well, but there have been some quirky things… though I’m quirky. For the most part, I’m looking forward to being back, but I’m
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 28, 2025Most people, regardless of their religious beliefs, have heard the words, “The Lord is my shepherd.” They may not know from where the phrase comes or even what it means, but whether they heard it at a funeral service or received it as a cross-stitch from Grandma, it sounds familiar. For people of faith, those words are not only familiar but encouraging, providing peace and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 27, 2025Many people enjoy living in a daydream-like existence. They are dreamers, with no intention of sharing the dreams or attempting to bring the dreams to fruition. The best way of seeing dreams become reality is to actually wake up from your dreaming. In the story of Joseph, whose father made him a coat of many colors, we find many dreams that were uncomfortable to share,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 26, 2025I have been doing some reading on the Apostle Paul’s sexual ethic. Some of you are thinking to yourself, “Bruce, find a hobby… consider stamp collecting.” Starting in 1st Corinthians 7, Paul sounds as if he is freestyling, just making it up as he goes. As you read the chapter, it reads like a stream of consciousness, as if Paul did not have the option
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 25, 2025On the BBC’s website is a story about a fossil of the terror birds some 13 million years ago. This bird clearly lived up to its name as one of the top predators, standing at nearly 8 feet tall, with a beak that ripped flesh from any animal. What captured the attention of scientists were some bite marks on the leg bone of the terror
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 23, 2025Early in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is baptized by John, and then Jesus spends 40 days in the wilderness. Only 14 verses in the Gospel, John is arrested, and Jesus begins his public ministry. I think most people breeze right through those 13 verses on their way to another destination, missing the confusion and tension that must have been felt by those who were disciples of