ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 17, 2024Years ago, I was running at 10k in a small town. The energy and hospitality were wonderful, and it was a fun race to run. But I laughed when I realized where the finish line was. As I stood there waiting to hear the person with the bullhorn yell, “Go,” I looked up and noticed that the banner ahead of me said, FINISH. It was
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 16, 2024In tomorrow’s sermon, I will be quoting a character from the limited series Lessons in Chemistry. Like Ted Lasso, I really did not want to see Lessons in Chemistry come to an end. It was powerful and profound, funny and heartwarming. The main character, Elizabeth Zott, was played brilliantly by Brie Larson. In the last episode, she says (and I rewatched it numerous times to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 15, 2024A number of years ago, I was asked the question, “How old were you when you first really understood the Jesus message?” My answer then would be my answer now: “I am still trying to determine the Jesus message.” It’s not that I have no experience of its beauty and transformative power, but it’s as if the depth of this message is growing exponentially as
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 14, 2024Have you ever found yourself in an embarrassing moment and wished you had access to a reset button? Southwest Airlines has a great series of commercials where someone is horribly embarrassed. The voice on the commercial asks, “Do you want to get away?” Since most of us don’t have the reset button that erases the memories of everyone who witnessed our stupidity, simply jumping on
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 13, 2024Last Sunday, I talked about Pressing the Reset Button in regard to our understanding of atonement. It was one of those sermons that deserved another 12-15 minutes of explanation, as it is a complicated subject and has a lot of history that is sort of lost in most churches today. So often, a certain aspect of our faith, or even a go-to line common among
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 12, 2024If my math is correct, today is the 52nd anniversary of Cypress Creek Christian Church. On this day in 1972, a group of folks gathered at the home of Bill and Betty Ayers to join God in dreaming into existence this place that would be known as Cypress Creek Christian Church. I have never been a direct participant in a new church start, though I
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 11, 2024Prayer for the Week: Teach me, encourage me, and train me in the ways of self-restraint wherever I need a bit more discipline. Lord God, I do not wish to step off the path of faithfulness, though I know I will on more than one occasion. When I do, I trust your grace to be a gentle guide, your mercy to take me by the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 10, 2024In Psalm 27 (the Message), we read:When besieged, I’m calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I’m collected and cool. I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 9, 2024In James 1:22, we read: “…be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.” I believe the church has experienced many moments of self-deception, talking itself into a belief that what it thinks or what it says is the doing of the Gospel, when in fact it is not. Today, I am thankful for all the good “DOING” of the word at
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMarch 8, 2024Yesterday’s Etching inspired a lot of comments, a lot of good thoughts and questions. I know I have mentioned this before, but if someone is a traditional Trinitarian and holds to the idea that Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), then how do we make sense of the unconditional love we see in Jesus and a God who is full of