ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 24, 2023This past weekend, Rev. Sally Azar became the first Palestinian woman ordained into the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan. She was also the first Palestinian woman ordained in the Holy Land. This is a monumental moment for the church universal, but sort of late… extraordinarily late. When you think about the women at the empty tomb who would become the first preachers of the Good
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 23, 2023Prayer for the Week: Provide me, O God of affirming grace, with x-ray-like vision to see through everything that gets piled on my soul—all the negativity, the voices of doubt, the painful judgments, and the cynicism. You have always seen something in me that you have deemed precious, loving me without condition while never judging my imperfections. In fact, you seem to use what many
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 22, 2023In worship today, we are going to be talking about the very real possibility of allowing a story that is not of God (or even from someone who loves you and has your best interest in mind) to be a defining story in your life. It can be a simple story, maybe one that doesn’t even impact you on a daily basis, or it can
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 21, 2023I am not usually turning to Goldie Hawn for spiritual insight, but in preparing for my sermon on Sunday, I came across a quote from her. She said, “Mindfulness can help people of any age. That’s because we become what we think.” If our mind is telling us we cannot do something, we can feel pretty certain it won’t happen… whatever it is. Now, I’m
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 20, 2023As many of you know, my family is sort of a Disney family. When we lived in Florida, Disney was like a second home to us. For that reason, I have always been interested in Disney’s innovation and creativity. In fact, I attended a creativity event at a Methodist church a short distance from Disney, and all the workshop leaders were Disney staff. It was
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 19, 2023Has there ever been a truly failed dream? Maybe, but I sort of believe that even when the desired end is not achieved, the dream is rarely an utter failure. I have learned so much from failure, and when you’ve had a lot of them, the classroom of learning is a nearly weekly experience. There is much to take away, and if we acquire something
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 18, 2023I was reading from Soren Kierkegaard yesterday, a wonderfully thoughtful writer who will suddenly stick you with a phrase or idea that pierces the soul. I was caught up in a discussion of cowardice that seemed to project this gutless response onto some theoretical group distant from me. Then Kierkegaard wrote, “Cowardice and time always find a reason for not hurrying, for saying, “Not today,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 17, 2023I mentioned a few days ago that I am working on a presentation that has me rereading Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermon to our denomination’s national gathering on September 25, 1966, held in Dallas. There are certain places in the original manuscript where Dr. King scratched out a few sentences. One of our former General Minister and Presidents, Rev. John Humbert, was an
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 16, 2023Prayer for the Week: For all the dreams you have cast before your creation, dreams and visions of what is possible, I seek a discernment capable of distinguishing your sacred hope from the self-serving plans so often concealed by righteous-sounding rhetoric. O God of the Promise and the Possible, help me to set aside what I want so as to make room for what you
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 15, 2023Last night, Cypress Creek Christian Church hosted the EBONY event to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is an event I have enjoyed every year, though the last two years it has been an online experience because of COVID. The Centrum was full last night, and people were so moved by the performances and offerings of so many.