ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 2, 2022Today is World Communion Sunday. It is one of those special Sundays in the life of the church for which Hallmark will never make a card. To be honest, I am sort of glad. In worship this morning, we are going to focus on our Core Value of Hospitality. Of course, hospitality is sort of central to the idea of communion — at least at
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 1, 2022Today, Cypress Creek Christian Church will be offering a Blessing of the Animals as part of our Fall Festival. There are all kinds of fun activities for kids, many of these activities will allow young people to encounter different animals. I have really come to love this event and to enjoy all the creatures I meet. We celebrate this occasion on the first Saturday of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 30, 2022I was having a rather lively conversation with someone in regard to God’s love, and I was intrigued when his response to something I said was, “Yes, but…” The old adage tends to be true: Anything before the word ‘but’ really does not count. When I suggested God’s love be extended to a certain group of people, the response was, “Well yes, but…” What followed
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 29, 2022I’m certain many of you are watching the happenings in Florida very closely. In fact, some of you reading this Etching are in Florida right now. I remember my first hurricane when we were living in Naples. It ended up dropping down to a tropical storm right before landfall, but it was still pretty scary. This one is so much bigger. Of course, there are
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 28, 2022Have you ever wished you could go back in time and change something, say something a little differently, respond with less anger or biting sarcasm? I’m not a person with a lot of regrets, but I have a few. In my study on Breath Prayers, it appears as if the participants are beginning to understand the benefits of this prayerful tool. Time travel would be
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 27, 2022I’ve been thinking a lot about the important, yet challenging dance between forgiveness and responsibility. So often, when someone receives forgiveness for a wrong committed, the person believes the forgiveness has expunged any need to take responsibility for the wrong. I do not believe forgiveness removes the accountability of the one who did the wrong. In faith, God’s forgiveness releases us from guilt and fear,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 26, 2022As we continue to draw upon the notion of a Breath Prayer, you are invited to think about those in the world who struggle to know and claim health of body, mind and spirit. Too many are stripped of their humanity, and they are often left hungering for what would nourish them – physically, emotionally or spiritually. For all whose life experiences leave them yearning
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 25, 2022I often remind people how the word in the Bible, “Believe,” is not necessarily something you do with your head, but with your heart. There are those who would suggest a better way of translating the original Greek of the New Testament would be Belove. According to Mark’s Gospel, some of the first words Jesus spoke as he began his new ministry were a sort
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 24, 2022For those who have not seen me in the last couple of days, my hair is even shorter than usual. Some of you are wondering how that could be and that was my wife’s comment. There is a reason for the short hair – a few days ago, I wrote about Mahsa Amini who was killed by the morality police in Iran for not wearing
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 23, 2022I caught just a few minutes of the Faith Leaders Congressional Briefing & National Press Conference earlier today. This was an event put on by the Poor People’s Campaign, a national movement started by one of our denominational pastors, Bishop William Barber. During the Briefing/Press Conference, Rabbi Michael Pollack spoke powerfully, and some of his words struck me. He spoke of the systemic bribery in