ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 26, 2025When unexpected change happens in our daily lives, even the change that is personal and kept pretty close to the vest, the most common response is to hunker down, build a wall of protection, and push back against any other change. Sometimes the push back against other change becomes almost zealous in its outrage, in part, because it makes us feel in control of that
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 25, 2025Sunday was interesting! The sermon in which I conversed with my “Inner-Me” was something the Lenten planning team had discussed (in theory), but I was not absolutely sure what it would look like. At the Traditional Service, it felt as if my Inner-Me was 2 seconds ahead of where I thought it should be. Contemporary went a little better. Feel free to offer any critique,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 24, 2025Prayer for the Week: Each day is an opportunity to awaken to something new, yet so often the pursuit of the expected and ordinary leaves us close-eyed to what is being stirred, roused, and set in motion by your Holy Presence. May whatever causes us to be lethargic and languish in a pursuit of spiritual slumber be exercised from our being, enabling us to be
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 23, 2025Awakening hope? Especially in a time of difficulty, when hopelessness grips us, it can appear nearly impossible to imagine hope awakening within us or around us. Yet that’s the quirky nature of hope. God’s hope exists whether or not we see it. Whether or not we embrace it. It is there waiting for us, and sometimes it begins to awaken ever so slowly—little reminders; little
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 22, 2025Some of you are waking up with excitement as your NCAA tournament brackets still look excellent. Others are finding themselves with absolutely no hope of having a single team in the Final Four, and for that reason, they’ve started counting the days until football season kicks off. And still others are wondering what I’m referencing as you do not like sports and are never happy
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 21, 2025A few weeks ago, I mentioned the World Happiness Report in one of my Etchings, highlighting the United States’ consistently poor performance in the nearly 15 years of the study’s existence. The most recent findings were just released, and after a couple of years with slight improvements, the United States fell to its lowest level in the study’s history. Now, happiness has nothing to do
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 20, 2025The Wednesday Men’s Prayer Group watched a video yesterday of Josh Scott entitled, “Re-wilding the Church.” It was centered around the image of the mustard seed in the Gospels, and in his presentation, he made a reference to White Christian Nationalism. After the video, we had a discussion that ranged all over the place, though it was all good. But someone asked why exactly do
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 19, 2025We are less than two weeks away from Youth Sunday. I recall my older siblings participating in a Youth Sunday. As I grew older and joined the Youth Group, I had the opportunity to contribute to the planning of that special Sunday. Guess what? The planning of worship was harder than I thought, and though I had sat through more than 500 worship services by
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 18, 2025So what do you do with a rock? In the ancient world, a pile of rocks held significance. Over the years, I’ve amassed a diverse collection of rocks, ranging from small to somewhat large. These rocks have come to me through various means, including Bible studies, worship gatherings, church camps, retreats, and even from a kind-hearted child who simply offered, “Here! I thought you might
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 17, 2025Prayer for the Week:Where children are hungryWhere an elderly man is left aloneWhere hopelessness is unrelentingWhere grief lingers on and onWhere hatred spills out on the vulnerableWhere the unexpected hurts the soulWe offer ourselvesWe offer the churchWe offer the Gospel enfleshed in usAnd pray it makes a differenceWe offer this unto youHoly GodAmen