ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 4, 2023Whether you are a football person or not, you probably know of Damar Hamlin, the defensive safety for the Buffalo Bills. He collapsed after a rather routine tackle during Monday Night Football. Though I had been watching the game, I flipped away to watch something else for about 30 minutes. I returned to the game about the time the ambulance was leaving the field. At
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 3, 2023A Prayer: I breathe in you, Generous God. I breathe in new possibilities. I breathe in a vision of life not constrained by the cacophony of voices that are quick to honor old and life-diminishing ways. I breathe in the reality that any change will be hard and discomforting, but I breathe in you, Generous God. More than 360 days remain in this new year—that’s
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 2, 2023Guest Writer: Rev. Mariah NewellScripture: Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 – 11 He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 1, 2023Most ministers are excited to write something on the first day of a new year, casting dreams and pontificating grand theological ideas. On this January 1, my energy level is not quite there. Yes, I am excited about TCU winning and moving on to play in the National Championship, but I am also dragging because of COVID. It sort of put a damper on the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 31, 2022This will be my third Etching on forgiveness as we approach the end of the year. This one is simple: Before entering the new year, forgive yourself. This is often the most challenging, and it can sometimes stand in the way of you forgiving someone else. I started looking around to see who had something insightful to say on the subject, and as you might
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 30, 2022Yesterday, I wrote about forgiveness. There is, of course, more to say on the subject. When I think about the frustration that comes with seriously pondering an attempt at forgiveness, I appreciate the words of Brené Brown: “…sometimes when we are beating ourselves up, we need to stop and say to that harassing voice inside, ‘Man, I’m doing the very best I can right now.’”
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS December 29, 2022As we approach 2023, who do you need to forgive? Before answering, let’s review the basic guidelines of forgiveness. First, forgiving someone in no way suggests the injury caused was justified or even okay. You can forgive someone and still say what was done was wrong. That’s usually the case. Second, forgiveness does not automatically make you feel better or all warm inside. It
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 28, 2022Today is the Holy Day of the Innocents, the day the church remembers the youngest martyrs. It is the day on the church’s calendar to remember the children of Bethlehem who were murdered by Herod’s decree after he learned of a new king being born (Matthew 2:16). In reflecting on this day, it is important to remember the children of Myanmar, Afghanistan, Iraq, Mexico, Ukraine,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 27, 2022You might have heard or read about them, but no matter how you received them, the words of Pope Francis during his Christmas Day Homily might have been the clearest expression of truth the world has heard in recent years. He spoke about the war in Ukraine as “a grave famine of peace,” while also suggesting this famine of peace reaches into many other parts
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 26, 2022In Galatians 2, we read: They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do. Today is the Feast Day of St. Stephen who is considered the first deacon of the church and the first martyr. As a deacon, he served those who were poor, including the widow and the orphan. In many cultures, today is