ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 2, 2022How has religion used guilt and fear? Sadly, such things are woven into a lot of religions, or certain passages of holy text are used to impose guilt and intensify fear. You can attract a lot of followers with guilt and fear. In Exodus 30, there is a deeply troubling passage. It says: The LORD spoke to Moses: When you take a census of the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 1, 2022Prayer for the Week: With this new day comes an opportunity to meet you anew, O Divine Light. To experience the warmth of your generosity; to learn something I have never before noticed about the intensity of your kindness; to glimpse the far-reaching capacity of your glory? Let the possibilities of this day be met by the curiosity of my mind and the imagination of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 31, 2022When I was keynoting a Men’s Event a number of years ago, I provided a rather simple illustration of Jesus’ command for us to love one another. A young man in attendance said something like, “If Jesus was so clear about his purpose being love, and if we are his followers yet we continue to fail when it comes to this purpose, why doesn’t he
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 30, 2022I don’t want July to end! Yes, it still has one more day after today, but I’m not ready for July to end. Oh sure, I’d like the heat to dissipate just a little, but I’m still not ready to see July come to a close. Maybe I’m just odd this way (or maybe just odd in general), but there are times when a month
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 29, 2022I met a ministry colleague at Starbucks yesterday. We get together occasionally, in part, because he is exceptionally smart and I like to steal all his good ideas. We met over in Kingwood, and since I left directly from the house in the morning, I took 99 around. On the way back, since I was going to the church, I took 69 down to Beltway
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 28, 2022This Sunday, I will begin a three-week series: The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in a Nutshell. Trying to determine what to say and what to leave out is tough, especially when you’re talking about a denomination with a rich and amazing history. From early on, we claimed: Unity Is Our Polar Star. This made sense as our most influential voices in the early years,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 27, 2022The priest and author, Henri Nouwen, wrote: One of the main tasks of theology is to find words that do not divide but unite, that do not create conflict but unity, that do not hurt but heal. As I read those words, I have a better understanding of why the work of theology is hard. Too often, people will be dismissive and say things like,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 26, 2022It is debated whether the Buddha really said, “Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.” Whether those words can be truly attributed to the Buddha or not, I have been sitting with them for about two weeks. I’m not too sure exactly how to read them, but if I were to make a rather
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 25, 2022A single line from a prayer written by St. Teresa of Avila (1515 – 1582): Whoever has God lacks nothing With those words in mind, quiet yourself for prayer… I seek your presence in my life, O God of the Universe. I request your Spirit to dwell deep within the recesses of my mind where imagination can too easily guide my attention down the path
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 24, 2022What do you do with anger? Lots of people have an opinion on the subject, and they are quick to offer their insights. There are occasional suggestions that are helpful, but I find most people’s thoughts to be pithy and dismissive. Often, it is just a tactic to appear sympathetic when the person making the unhelpful suggestion simply does not want to hear your complaints