ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 28, 2024I’m going to church camp next week. No! Not as a camper. I am keynoting the Chi Rho (middle school) camp at Disciple Oaks, our camp ground outside of Gonzales, Texas (thus, the reason it is often referred to as Camp Gonzo). This was once a way of living. Literally! I was on the staff of a church camp for two summers, working with ten
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 27, 2024I think most Jewish people would point to the Exodus story as the primary vision of who God is—the One who hears the cries of the oppressed and seeks to call forth those who will partner with God in the work of liberation. In Luke’s Gospel, when Jesus read from the Prophet Isaiah while in the synagogue, he read the following words: The Spirit of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 26, 2024On Monday morning, rather early, I received a call from my neurologist’s office. A week earlier, I had an MRI, something they want me to do at least once a year because of my M.S., though I usually resist the frequency they want. I answered the phone, and the nurse said, “Do you have a few minutes to talk about your results?” Her tone was
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 25, 2024I really don’t mind people disagreeing with me. In fact, I enjoy a good back and forth, especially when someone brings a good alternative perspective. I might still disagree, but it is good to have substance in the counterargument that pushes and demands something of me. I have walked away saying, “Wow! You’ve given me a lot to think about,” often when someone’s life experiences
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 24, 2024We offer a prayer today with the hope of finding within ourselves the capacity to forgive. God of Grace and Mercy, we have been taught in the life of Jesus both the importance of forgiveness and the expectation that we will forgive. As recipients of your great gift of merciful kindness that does not define us by our worst days or hurtful choices, we express
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 23, 2024Some of you may have seen my post on Facebook yesterday. It was a memory from twelve years ago—a picture taken as we crossed into Texas on our move from Florida. Over the next two weeks, we moved into our new home, unpacked tons of boxes, found the grocery store, had my first day in the office, and preached my first sermon at Cypress Creek
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 22, 2024I didn’t expect that! Those words are often said in the world of archeology. Yesterday, I read a fascinating article about a recently discovered shipwreck that was almost 3,500 years old. It was more than a mile under the Mediterranean Sea and more than 50 miles off shore. Those who study such things did not believe ships at that time had the capacity to cross
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 21, 2024This Sunday will be the second-to-last sermon on the Totality of the Jesus Life. We have been looking at numerous passages of scripture that have historically caused discomfort, anger, confusion, or even brought some people to the point of leaving Christianity behind. Too often, people have been told that they simply need to accept the Bible for what it is—maybe even being told that it
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 20, 2024Yesterday was Juneteenth, the celebration of Union troops arriving in Galveston Bay with the news of freedom for more than 250,000. Two years earlier, on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. The Thirteenth Amendment passed in January of 1865, but news did not reach many living in Confederate territories until months later. Yesterday was the anniversary of that news arriving in Galveston, but
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 19, 2024One of my ongoing struggles in ministry is finding the balance between clarity of conviction and not reinforcing an Us vs. Them scenario. For example, I was recently sent a scathing online diatribe against my views on women. Not only did this individual believe women had no place in church leadership, but a woman needed to submit to her husband’s authority in marriage. How can