ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 10, 2026 Donna and I are in Fort Worth for Ministers’ Week at Brite Divinity School. We gathered at University Christian Church on the campus of TCU for worship last night, and the Rev. Dr. Donyelle McCray was our preacher. She spoke of Paul’s First Letter to the Church in Corinth, and specifically the Love Passage (1 Corinthians 13). The words we often hear in
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 9, 2026 Prayer for the Week: Spirit of Life and Love, you know us and you know the change needed within us if we are going to be the instruments of change for which this world is crying out. Where you are seeking to shape us to be a revelation of Jesus, whisper words of encouragement that we might grow in our trust of what
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 8, 2026 Big day at Cypress Creek Christian Church! There are times when we pack a lot into a Sunday morning. When we were still in the planning stage months earlier, it didn’t appear to be all that significant. And then the day gets closer, and you think to yourself, “I hope we can pull it off.” We have a One Service Sunday in the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 7, 2026 One of the most beautiful things in the life of the church, at least for me, is the amazing people I get to know on a level that I would have never experienced had I worked somewhere other than the church. And it’s not just my employment as a pastor. Many of you have commented on how you met someone, and what started
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 6, 2026 So yesterday, I received an email from a local dermatologist offering Valentine’s Specials. For just $1,900, I can get a skin tightening session. Happy Valentine’s Day, my wrinkly friend… or at least that’s the way I read it. Or how about giving that to someone you love? I don’t see that going over well. I have many favorite church signs, but one of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 5, 2026 I have been reflecting on a quote from Nelson Mandela: “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” How do I approach the day, the decisions that I make for myself, and the priorities for how my time will be spent in my ministry? Digging deeper, are there unspoken fears that are driving my sense of purpose? I would really like to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 4, 2026 Jesus hopefully loves me, I wish I knew. For some say the Bible Tell us how to earn that love. I don’t know if I good enough. Ok, I know this rewrite of the children’s song does not rhyme, and the meter doesn’t come close to working, but I am amazed at how people are left feeling as if the love of God
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 3, 2026 I have been working with some folks as they prepare for baptism, and one of the clear messages I have tried to communicate is that baptism is a gift. In some traditions, and at multiple times in Christian history, baptism has been a requirement for salvation, and not only a requirement, but one that only the church (often a specific church) could offer.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 2, 2026 Prayer for the Week: Holy God, Awesome and Creative Spirit, you remain at work in this world. Open the eyes of our hearts that we might see what we have not previously been able to see. Wherever judgement begins to find its way into our minds and seeks to make its way out of our mouths, stir within us a curiosity that comes
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS February 1, 2026 Today, as we conclude our series on Mindfulness, we will focus our attention on curiosity, which I will suggest is one of the more important attributes when it comes to being a human being. With that in mind, I invite you to ponder the words of Albert Einstein: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.