ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 16, 2026 Donna and I got away over the weekend to a little cabin in Arkansas for a couple of nights, and though it was hot (actually, slightly hotter near Hot Springs than Houston), we had a wonderful and relaxing time. It was one of those short breaks where we both said, “Can we stay two more weeks?” Early Sunday morning, we went over to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 15, 2026 Within our tradition, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), there is not one way of doing things. We are not a top-down denomination with a manual that dictates our practices. However, if I am to be completely honest, there are days when a manual would be appreciated. If you were to travel the country and visit numerous congregations within our denomination, you would
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 14, 2026 I have a Kermit the Frog puppet on my desk. Cheryl Coleman gave it to me, along with some other stuffed animals. I’ve given two away to kids who had come to the church office with a parent and were needing a little something to cheer them up. Kermit, on the other hand, has been used as a conversation partner with a couple
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 13, 2026 I am about the least superstitious person alive, yet I find it funny that whenever I see the 13th as a day of the month, I wonder whether it’s a Friday. There is no anxiousness or unsettledness at the thought of the number 13, but Friday the 13th has become very much a part of our culture. And growing up, the first Friday
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 12, 2026 Yesterday was my wife’s birthday. We had a wonderful trip to California planned to celebrate this milestone, but my health issues forced us to cancel. I know spouses make sacrifices for one another, as that is what love does. However, it does not make certain decisions any easier. It still sort of suck! We had been planning and saving for the trip for
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 11, 2026 My doctor is wanting me to get the usual vaccines, plus a couple of extra ones. I had yet to get the RSV, a vaccine to protect from certain strains of a nasty respiratory virus. Finding myself already a little fatigued, I wanted to check the potential side effects. I put my question before AI, and though it gave me the traditional side
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 10, 2026 I love it when I see a headline on a sports’ website that says, “Not Too Early Playoff Teams.” We’ve not yet played a single game in the regular season of the NFL, yet someone is willing to write with extraordinary confidence about who will and who will not make the playoffs. Don’t get me wrong, there are some nutty sports people who
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 9, 2026 I have often heard people say, “I belong to a praying church,” and though every church is a praying church, I do believe there are certain churches that might be called to a more intentional ministry of prayer or maybe a historic culture of prayer is rooted in the communal DNA. At Cypress Creek Christian Church, I don’t know if most folks would
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 8, 2026 I felt alone on my walk this morning—not lonely, but alone. There was no sense of forsakenness by God, just a walk with my own thoughts, questions, concerns, fears, hopes, and joys. My faith tells me God was there, but unlike most of my walks, it didn’t include what I can only describe as a friendly conversation with God. A thought frequently crosses
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 7, 2026 Prayer for the Week: Hello there, God! Another day greets me, and through inexhaustible love, I receive it as a gift full of opportunity. If there is something to which I can be attentive for the purpose of bringing health to my life and my faith, I trust you to show me. Where I need to forgive myself to unlock unrecognized potential, I