ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 6, 2022Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.~St. Catherine of Siena This quote was in our weekly Highlights on Thursday, and ever since I came across the words, I have been both fascinated and troubled by them. I believe they are true, yet if they are true, why isn’t the world on fire with goodness, grace, kindness, justice
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 5, 2022I have always found it a bit baffling how Christianity has become so dogmatic, claiming absolutes in the name of a teacher who, according to Mark 4, climbed into a boat, sat down, and began to teach a large crowd using parables/stories. He did not say, “Here are the seven necessary truths one must know and claim as holy-conferred…” He did not provide a well-structured
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 4, 2022In his challenging book, A Generous Orthodoxy, Brian McLaren writes: I’m sure I am wrong about many things, although I’m not sure exactly which things I’m wrong about. I’m even sure I’m wrong about what I think I’m right about in at least some cases. I find his words helpful and humble, giving me space to confess my own lack of knowledge and my moments
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 3, 2022Yesterday, I went to visit someone at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Woodlands. After the visit, I needed to run by the church and grab a few things. It took me exactly two hours and four minutes to go the 15 miles to the church. I made the mistake of checking my map and its recommendation to take a slightly different route that would be
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,