ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 10, 2026 Prayer for the Week: We are far from perfect, yet you love us simply because that’s who you are. Thank you, Generous God. And through your love, we find your mercy and forgiveness, gifts that are not intended just to be received alone, but to become the catalyst by which we honor the work of repentance and seek to make amends that help
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 9, 2026 Recently, someone thanked me for showing such kindness through an act of forgiveness. To be honest, I didn’t even remember it. So maybe the old adage of forgive and forget can be true, but it’s probably going to be in those situations when we really didn’t feel all that injured. You appreciated the concern of the person who apologized and asked for forgiveness,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 8, 2026 Today, I will be officiating at the funeral for a woman who was nearly 106 years old. It is sort of hard to wrap my brain around what it might have been like to live 106 years, and to have experienced all the changes that occurred in that time. In 1920, 65% of homes in the United States did not have electricity. People
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 7, 2026 There are these gluten-free crackers that I can eat, and I really do like them. The other day, I bought my usual, which is sea salt. Sometimes I wonder whether the cracker is really just the delivery device for the salt. Boy was I disappointed to find out that there was absolutely no salt on those crackers. One after another, and I had
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 6, 2026 I have referenced this MLK quote before, but it is worth repeating: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” I appreciate knowing who said it because I have this tendency to think about how the finite disappointments pile up one after another. The weight of the disappointment can appear unbearable. Yet my handful of disappointments do not compare to the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 5, 2026 In the Book of Ruth, when the mother-in-law, Naomi, was trying to encourage Ruth and Orpah to return to their families after both of their husbands (Naomi’s sons) died, she said: “Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 4, 2026 Many people probably do not care, but a new season of Ted Lasso goes live at midnight tonight (actually, I think it is at 2am Central time). If you’re not a fan of the AppleTV series, that’s okay, but it is, in my opinion, some of the best writing I’ve known. I both laughed until I hurt and cried all in the same
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 3, 2026 Prayer for the Week: Where there appears to be a scarcity of love, May I draw upon your deep and abundant reservoir. You are the Living Water, And from your infinite gift we drink. Fill us as you always do. Drench us; envelop us; enfold us. Prepare us to be a conduit By which others are able to drink. In a parched world
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 2, 2026 Where is your starting place? As you think about your faith, what is that one foundational thing on which you build everything else? Maybe it’s a couple of ideas. Now there are some people who will say, “It’s not just one or two things. I believe the Bible as a whole.” It might be what people say and even what they’ve convinced themselves
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 1, 2026 At a time when there is an epidemic of loneliness, and there is so much chaos in our so-called civic discourse, hopelessness is increasingly infiltrating the lives of more and more individuals. It’s strange how those grappling with hopelessness often don’t explicitly label it as such, instead describing it as exhaustion, malaise, or an inability to focus. But as they are pushed a