ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 4, 2025Prayer for the Week: Whisper, nudge, prompt me, and guide me. Faithfulness in all things is what I desire, yet I know my desire for faithfulness does not always equate with faithfulness. Help me to pause and reflect, unafraid to name my shortcomings or outright failures. If faithfulness is truly my desire, then denial or excuse-making hinders my progress toward that desired end. I trust
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 3, 2025What does transformed look like to you? The Apostle Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, invited his readers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds so that they might discern the will of God. It sounds as if transformation is not the ultimate destination. Instead, transformation is what needs to happen for us to be in a place where we can discern
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 2, 2025In 1st Thessalonians 5:14, we read:And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. Many of us are good at recognizing the problems in someone else’s life, and we feel pretty confident that we have the solution to those problems. As I often say, “I can live other people’s lives much better than
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 1, 2025Erma Bombeck wrote, “Dreams have only one owner at a time. That’s why dreamers are lonely.” I agree, yet I disagree. There is real truth to the dreamer who sees what others cannot see or refuses to see, and for that reason, the dreamer can feel very alone in that dreaming. But dreams are contagious, and because dreams are contagious, they often infect a handful
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 31, 2025It’s the last day of July and my first day back in the office. It feels a little like the first day back to school after summer break. It’s been a few years, but I can still remember the emotion. There was excitement, nervousness, and especially as I was moving to a new school, a whole lot of uncertainty. I’m returning to the same church,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 30, 2025I caught part of a science show on TV the other day, and the question being asked was, “How much energy does it take…?” Though they were measuring the amount of joules required to move certain objects, my mind instantly went to a related question that only a minister would ask. I wanted to know how much energy it takes to forgive as compared to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 29, 2025I cannot believe my sabbatical is coming to an end. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but that’s not a negative. Anytime you have surgery as I did, you’re not absolutely sure how you’re going to respond. Most of it has gone well, but there have been some quirky things… though I’m quirky. For the most part, I’m looking forward to being back, but I’m
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 28, 2025Most people, regardless of their religious beliefs, have heard the words, “The Lord is my shepherd.” They may not know from where the phrase comes or even what it means, but whether they heard it at a funeral service or received it as a cross-stitch from Grandma, it sounds familiar. For people of faith, those words are not only familiar but encouraging, providing peace and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 27, 2025Many people enjoy living in a daydream-like existence. They are dreamers, with no intention of sharing the dreams or attempting to bring the dreams to fruition. The best way of seeing dreams become reality is to actually wake up from your dreaming. In the story of Joseph, whose father made him a coat of many colors, we find many dreams that were uncomfortable to share,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 26, 2025I have been doing some reading on the Apostle Paul’s sexual ethic. Some of you are thinking to yourself, “Bruce, find a hobby… consider stamp collecting.” Starting in 1st Corinthians 7, Paul sounds as if he is freestyling, just making it up as he goes. As you read the chapter, it reads like a stream of consciousness, as if Paul did not have the option