ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS July 14, 2026 My yard had needed to be mowed for four or five days, yet between rain and schedule, I kept on delaying. So yesterday morning, I got out early and got it done. How is it that you take some off the top, and your yard goes from looking jungle-like to really good? Of course, it will probably be nearly jungle-like in a week
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS July 13, 2026 Guest Writer: Rev. Dr. Terry Ewing Overflowing When My Heart Wins (a prayer in response to the daily news) When a word of friendly greeting and thanks are needed, let me be the one. When the healing touch of forgiveness is just a breath away, let me be the one. When the cashier’s sad life has become their sad day and my
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS July 12, 2026 Have you ever thought you understood something completely, only to have your eyes opened? It can often be challenging to admit that what you perceived to be the truth was not accurate. Maybe it’s not so hard when it was simply a lack of information, and once the new information was available, you changed your mind. But what happens when people absolutely refuse
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS July 11, 2026 Yesterday’s Etching was long, though I felt it was needed if I was going to make my point. Building on the same idea, there are those who will quote Mark 10:45, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.” Jesus was using the title Son of Man as a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS July 10, 2026 Someone posted the following: Some Christians agree that Adam and Eve did not actually exist. Those Christians then admit that Jesus died for nothing. If you’re a little confused, let me try to give it some context. There is a theological concept called Original Sin. It is the belief that we are all born sinful and deserving of punishment. So a nine-month-old baby
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS July 9, 2026 There are moments when you witness something without pondering everything that occurred behind the scenes. We see the results without seeing much of the required work. As a friend used to say, “It takes a lot of effort to make something look effortless.” Last Sunday, we had three baptisms in worship. I really enjoy doing baptisms, but on those Sundays, the congregation enters
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS July 8, 2026 I have clergy friends who talk about how quiet their church campuses are during the week. Quiet is not the word I’d use around Cypress Creek Christian Church. And it’s not just the church, but everything happening around this little community compound. Of course, we had VBS and kids that brought lots of energy. The museum had a youth arts camp, and the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS July 7, 2026 Guest Etching: Jim Cook The God Who Broke the Box A spoken-word meditation I used to have God… in a box. Not because I didn’t love Him. I did. But a God in a box is easier to understand. Easier to defend. Easier to explain. I built that box with Scripture, with doctrine, with certainty, with all the answers I thought I had
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS July 6, 2026 Prayer for the Week: In a country still trying to understand how to move from a conceptual understanding of freedom to a lived understanding of freedom, with all of its complexity, we pray for your help, O Life-Sharing and Life-Inspiring Spirit. The Apostle Paul taught his readers that true freedom was not the unchecked ability to do whatever one wants, but the power,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS July 5, 2026 I’m going to date myself, but how many of you remember the “Calgon, take me away” commercial? When work was crazy and the kids were screaming and the dishes were piling up, you screamed, “Calgon, take me away.” And of course, the individual in the commercial was swept away to a luxurious spa-like bathroom with a bathtub that could seat twelve. And of