ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 26, 2026 On Sunday, we will read together the words, “Be still before the Lord…” The Oxford Jewish Bible translates it as, “Rest in Hashem…” (Hashem literally means ‘the name,’ and it is the Jewish way of avoiding saying the sacred name of God). With that said, I’m intrigued by the preposition in this phrase — before or in. Whether we are being still or
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 24, 2026 On Sunday, I based our first Lenten Grab Bag of Verses sermon on the words from Philippians 4:13, “I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength.” Those words from the translation known as the Common English Bible were put over and against translations like the New Revised Standard Version, “I can do all things through
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 23, 2026 Prayer for the Week from our friend Rev. Dr. Terry Ewing (Phillip Theological Seminary) When words are not enough, May you be in prayer. When every door is closed, May you be in prayer. When the way is dark and you are alone, May you be in prayer. When the sounds you hear are harsh, May you be in prayer. When each step
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 22, 2026 On Friday and Saturday, I attended the Men’s Retreat at Disciple Oaks Camp in Gonzales, Texas. The theme was Christian Friends – Wanted, Needed, Valued. We heard some powerful keynotes and testimonies. During one in particular, I kept on thinking about our focus passage for today, the First Sunday of Lent, “I can endure all these things through the power of the one
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 21, 2026 I was the kid who absolutely bombed spelling bees or any memorization game. Even those matching card games left me on the losing end every time. To this day, that part of my brain does not work well. On the other hand, if you tell me a story, I can retell the basic storyline months later. A neurologist told me that my brain
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 20, 2026 What does it mean to have a change of heart? What does it mean to experience a dramatic revelation that pretty much turns everything one previously believed on its head? When we begin to question some aspect of life, something we’ve been fully committed to in the past, we find it more difficult than we might have guessed. Often, many aspects of our
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 19, 2026 Last night at our Ash Wednesday Service, Rev. Carolina Fuentes reminded us how we are made. All existence is sort of made up of the same stuff, from stars to rocks to the flowers we see and the human beings that we are. As Carolina pointed out, matter matters. We matter. Of course, when we speak of how “we matter,” it’s important that
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 18, 2026 Today is Ash Wednesday, and I will begin the day early in the chapel. In fact, I will arrive well before the 7am starting time for ashes so that I can pray. Ash Wednesday begins an important period of time—forty days to be specific (40 days, minus the Sundays)—preparing us for Easter. Though it appears to be an anonymous quote, I love the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 17, 2026 Toward the end of the Book of Job, we read: “Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (42:4-6). Job was frustrated with how his friends were interpreting his
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 16, 2026 Prayer for the Week: For all the reminders of your love, O Lord, we are deeply grateful. For all of the moments in which we brush up against your merciful kindness, we say thank you. For all those places where we see your fingerprints, a reminder of how you are still at work, we express our gratitude. For all the times we have