ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 6, 2022I was really tired last night. Do you ever have those days when you’re so exhausted that it’s sort of hard to look into the future? I remember thinking to myself, “I’m pretty sure I’ve got a busy day tomorrow, but I’m not all that interested in even looking at my calendar.” I eventually did, which was sort of important. But I’ve been thinking about
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 5, 2022In the last twelve days or so, I have offered a couple of Etchings on the events in Iran – specifically starting with the apprehension and death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was not wearing her headscarf correctly. The self-appointed morality overlords have a long history of using fear tactics and violence to impose their definition of correctness on others, specifically women. If
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 4, 2022This coming Sunday, I will be referencing a Psalm called an enthronement Psalm. Psalm 96 is one of many such Psalms, and as you can imagine, it depicts God as a king. Like a lot of titles for God, we must remember that they are metaphors or comparisons used to communicate certain attributes. Is God really a king as we humans have understood a king?
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 3, 2022Between hurricanes and war, tragedies and civil unrest, it can appear as if life is being turned over in a wave of commotion and chaos. Sometimes it feels as if we are losing our footing and we will be swept away in a deluge of destruction. A breath prayer is never to be understood as a quick fix to the problems in our individual lives
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,