ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 3, 2022This coming Sunday is not only Pentecost Sunday, but the conclusion of our 50th Anniversary Celebration. We are continuing to collect gifts toward the Special Pentecost Offering that goes to support New Church in our denomination. Before coming to Cypress Creek Christian Church, I was asked to consider being a new church developer. It was intriguing and exciting, but it is one of those situations
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 2, 2022The Prophets seemed to suggest that nations would be judged on how they cared for the most vulnerable. The categories most often referenced by the prophets were: the poor, widows, orphans, sick and immigrants. I do not want to give the impression of being absolutely positive, but I feel pretty confident in saying these are general categories and do not represent the complete and final
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 1, 2022On the Day of Pentecost, the scriptures speak of a sound like the rush of a violent wind. In my life, I have been in a couple of tornadoes. In both cases, I was outside and watched the tornadoes move across fields. Even from a fair distance, there was a distinct sound. Some describe it as a loud train, and though I don’t know if
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 31, 2022This coming Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, often thought of as the Birthday of the Church. Pentecost was originally a Jewish holiday, and people were gathering in Jerusalem for the celebrations when something unexpected happened. At the beginning of Acts 2, it says: “When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place,” but there is no mention of the followers
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 30, 2022Prayer for the Week: Heal your church, O God, for there is brokenness in the Body. From our voice to our heart, from our feet to our hands, we need your restorative Spirit. Bind our wounds; assist us in regaining our strength; mend our shattered purpose. Heal your church, O God, so the Body of Christ can more fully exist in this moment. Amen.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 29, 2022When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. took over his first church at the age of 26, he hoped to grow it, make enough money to buy a nice house, and find time to teach at a local university. His dream was to become the President of a University. We all have unrealized dreams. Some of them were because of circumstance or timing, others because the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 28, 2022I have borrowed a line from Desmond Tutu more times than I can count. He said, “I am a prisoner of hope.” So often, it appears as if the snare of despondency has a pretty tight grip, yet there is something that keeps me believing even when I cannot see the destination. Today, when it appears as if we are going to hear the same
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 27, 2022Yesterday, I was going through some social media when I started coming across photos Facebook friends had posted of their children who were headed to school for their last day before Summer Break. I enjoyed coming across post after post of smiling and excited faces. I continued to scroll, only to come across a post with the images of the children killed at the Elementary
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 26, 2022How do you define yourself? How do the groups with whom you align yourself choose to define themselves? A few nights ago, I caught 10-12 minutes of a cable news talking head who was very good at trying to explain who he opposed, who was out to get you, and who was going to cause injury to those you love. He was very good at
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 25, 2022Guest Writer: Rev. Mariah NewellIn 2018, I was counseling high school camp at Camp Gonzo when Rev. Dr. Andy Mangum asked the campers, “What do you want the Regional Minister to know? What do you want the Christian Church of the Southwest to be talking more about?” One of the topics the youth raised: School Shootings. I heard the youth speak about their fears around