ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 7, 2022In Proverbs 1:8, we read: “Hear, my child, your father’s instruction, and do not reject your mother’s teaching…” Does this passage suggest that the advice of parents is always correct? As a parent, I know my many weaknesses and shortcomings. There will be times when a child will not take the advice of a parent, and it will be a wise decision on the part
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 6, 2022Last night, I prayed with an image in my head. There was a face of a child from Ukraine I had seen on a newscast that got stuck in my brain. A sort of cute goofy looking kid, great smile with a couple of teeth missing – like one of the kids I might see around here. My prayer locked onto the image for some
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 5, 2022I have been asked by a number of folks to give some thoughts on the recent release of a draft document by the Supreme Court, and though I have some interest in Constitutional Law, I am constantly going to my brother (a lawyer) and a couple of friends who are historians to learn how little I know. So today, I will try to stay clear
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 4, 2022In the April issue of Scientific America, there is a fascinating article entitled, “The Quantum Nature of Bird Migration.” I was intrigued to learn that Aristotle thought some birds transformed into other birds during the winter, and thus the reason we did not see them. Aristotle was way off on that idea. Today, we are learning how there are genetically encoded directions birds have within
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 3, 2022Tonight, there is pain in the Body, the Body of Christ. There are moments when part of the Body breaks off, spends time in the desert, and then later returns with a heavy and contrite heart in the realization of just how wrong it was. History has shown us this movie way too many times, yet we remain incapable of learning anything. They say, “Those
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 2, 2022Prayer for the WeekMerciful Mother, Holy Father, Gentle Parent, Magnificent Maker – so many designations we attached to you, yet not one even begins to capture the essence of who you are and what you do. Forgive us when a name or title becomes more like an idol, an effigy that we can hold and conform to our wishes. Forgive us when we do not
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 1, 2022Jesus understood that some folks are hard nuts to crack, and simply telling them who he was and what is mission was all about was not going to break their thick shell of disbelief. In Luke 22, Jesus was conversing with some of the religious leaders. They asked “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” Jesus replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe…”
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGApril 30, 2022On this day in the year 303, the Roman Empire officially ended its persecution of Christians. For 250 years or so, there had been times of intense persecution and other times of less severe. It also depended on what part of the Roman Empire one might live. Yet it is strange how a religion born out of persecution, finding some of its greatest witnesses and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGApril 29, 2022Richard Beck wrote an article entitled, The Bait and Switch of Contemporary Christianity (Sojo.net). It is a fascinating look at the games Christians have played to avoid doing some of the real work of being Christ followers. He writes, “…rather than being a decent human being the following is a list of some commonly acceptable substitutes:Going to churchWorshipPrayingSpiritual disciplines (e.g., fasting)Bible studyVoting RepublicanGoing on spiritual
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGApril 28, 2022Immediately after Luke’s telling of the resurrection story, we turn to a couple of folks walking on a road to the town of Emmaus. Experts are not absolutely sure where Emmaus was in the first century, but there are a number of archeological theories. The word Emmaus probably comes from the Hebrew word that means hot springs, but even that information does not provide an