ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 17, 2026 Can I confess something? I laugh each time I come across the passage in 1st Corinthians 7, where Paul wrote, “Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision.” I’m so glad Paul gave those already circumcised permission not to try to reverse it, especially back in the first century. As far
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 16, 2026 Have you ever disappointed someone when, in fact, you had tried your best? In my head, I can hear the 1981 James Ingram song, “Just Once,” where the opening line is: “I did my best, but I guess my best wasn’t good enough.” I’m pretty sure you don’t have to apologize when you feel confident that you gave the task your best effort,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 15, 2026 So often in scripture when we see the words “bought” or “ransomed” to describe what Jesus has done, we think of the cross or his death as an act that purchased us from something or someone. And in passages like 1st Corinthians 6:20, it gives that impression — “For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” But the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 14, 2026 I have been sitting with the events of last week, and though as a person of faith, I should probably have something to say on the topic, I have been without words or a fully formed thought on the matter. Or maybe I have too many thoughts racing through my head, and it is hard to pull out a single well-formulated faith-opinion on
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 13, 2026 Jim Hartung died on January 10. That may not be a name you know, but he was one of my heroes during my high school years. Jim was a Nebraska Cornhusker gymnast in the early 80s when I, a high school gymnast, was working out on Sunday afternoons at the university’s open gym. During Jim’s four years at the University of Nebraska, they
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 12, 2026 Prayer for the Week: Holy and Gracious God, guide and encourage me as I seek to do the work of quieting my spirit so that I might center myself more fully in your love. As a plethora of forces tug and pull on me, vying for my attention while draining my energy, I pray for the capacity to return to that place of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 11, 2026 The Apostle Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 5:6-8, “Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 10, 2026 Years ago, I worked with a monk who taught us a prayer that he shared in times of difficulty. The prayer went something like this: “Provide me with your perspective on this situation, O Holy Father who came from heaven to earth. Amen.” As we all know, perspective is 90% of people’s understanding of what’s important, what is right, and of course, what
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 9, 2026 The following poem by Nikita Gill, a British-Indian poet and artist, has been a part of my mornings and evenings that last few days. Though I am still digesting it, I strangely find it speaking to me and to the moment. The rage you are feeling comes from the same place inside your heart as the love. This is why you refuse to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 8, 2026 Today is an anniversary of sorts. On January 8, 2008, I started writing what was to be 30 days of focused posts and emails when I was serving as a church in Florida. Eighteen years later, I continue to write. Of the over 6,000 Etchings that I have written, I feel as there are three or four dozen that are pretty good. But