ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 10, 2023One of the more challenging experiences in ministry is when someone who is grieving the death of a loved one or dealing with the diagnosis of a loved one asks the question, “Why didn’t God protect this very special person?” I do not have a specific answer, but more of a general one. I’m not going to suggest it is THE answer, but it is
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 9, 2023In her book, “Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved,” she wrote: What would it mean for Christians to give up that little piece of the American Dream that says, “You are limitless”? Everything is not possible. The mighty kingdom of God is not yet here. What if ‘rich’ did not have to mean ‘wealthy’, and ‘whole’ did not have to mean
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 8, 2023On Monday, I shared a quote from the Book of Sirach, a Jewish book (originally written in Hebrew) that is contained within the Catholic, most Orthodox, and some other traditions’ canons (official list of recognized books of the Bible). Most Protestants recognize it for its historic importance, as early Christian writers often referenced it, but it’s not included in our canon. It was written between
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 7, 2023Like many of you, I feel my heart breaking each day as I awaken to the violence between Israel and Palestine. It is a historic and complicated situation, yet nothing could justify the brutal attack back in early October. Yesterday, I came across a story about two men who were once very involved in the violence between Palestinians and Jews, yet both of them had
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 6, 2023A Prayer from the Book of SirachTrustworthy friends are a strong shelter; whoever finds one has found a treasure.Trustworthy friends have no price, and no one can estimate their worth.Trustworthy friends are life’s medicine, and those who fear the Lord will find them.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 5, 2023Today, we continue our look at self-care, and as you can imagine, I have been doing a lot of preparation to convince people of the importance of self-care. With that said, I chuckle just a bit, as I have never met anyone who argued against it. I think all of us will give at least good lip service to the importance of taking care of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 4, 2023I have spent the last three days pondering a quote from a Lutheran minister named Michael Foss. I have known of Rev. Foss for a number of years, as I used a book he wrote with some leadership groups. In an interview with patheos.com, he said the following: The biggest challenge churches have is casting a vision for ministry that is compelling. By compelling I
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 3, 2023I learned recently that the World Health Organization has a specific definition of “self-care.” It is “our ability and personal agency to promote health, maintain well-being, prevent disease, and cope with illness.” I am drawn to the phrase “ability and personal agency” as it seems to imply that simply having the ability does not mean a person will actually seek to make it happen. Though
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 2, 2023Since my sermon on Sunday, I have received three emails from church folks who had something to share about one aspect of self-care. They all, in their own way, talked about those who give a lot of energy to self-improvement, specifically in regard to their professional lives. Their drive is focused on their career and being the best _______ (fill in the blank) possible. This
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 1, 2023Though we as a church will be celebrating All Saints’ Day this coming Sunday, technically today is All Saints’ Day… the first day of November. A few months ago, as I was pondering my sermon for this Sunday, I was doing some research on how different traditions have understood and celebrated this special day in the life of the church. There were two websites that