ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 16, 2022The movie, Veggietale: Madame Blueberry, is a story of a distraught blueberry who is not content with what she has. She has pictures on her wall of all her neighbor’s stuff that she covets. One day, a new megastore called Stuff-Mart moves in across the street. It glitters like a beacon of hope in her life. Some representatives of the store come by to confirm
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 15, 2022Funny moment – Yesterday, Donna and I were walking along the River Walk in San Antonio after a quick lunch. We were on our way back to the hotel in preparation for the activities of the Regional Assembly. Approaching us was a guy who sure looked like Mark Anderson, the President and CEO of the National Benevolent Association. I’ve only known Mark for 38 years,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 14, 2022I, along with six other Cypress Creek folks, am in San Antonio for the Regional Assembly of the Christian Church in the Southwest. The gathering will include times of worship, study, fellowship and business. The theme for the event is: Reconnecting Community, and our Regional Minister, Rev. Dr. Andy Mangum, wrote in his welcome letter: “For me, Reconnecting Community in a time of such intense
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 13, 2022In Romans 15:13, we read: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” A few days ago, I read these words and I needed them—specifically, hope, joy and peace. Life can become challenging, and the situations in which we find ourselves can appear grim, leaving
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 12, 2022I’m sort of a “give the benefit of the doubt” kind of person. In part, because I believe both my profession and my religion require it, but I have also been on the receiving end a few times. In those moments, it was a real gift of grace. In recent weeks, there have been some racist statements by public figures that are deeply troubling. Some
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 11, 2022Today, I begin a new study based on Dr. Amy-Jill Levine’s book, Signs and Wonders. Once again, Dr. Levine (she tells us to call her AJ) has put together a really thoughtful study, this one on the concept of miracles. She is willing to wrestle with the multitude of questions that people have been asking or wanting to ask. In the Introduction, she writes: “If
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 10, 2022Prayer for the Week: When there is something in the past that clings to you and stubbornly limits the abundant life for which you were created, remember there is a forgiveness with a power beyond even the irrational explanation you might have created to convince yourself that you must forever own the guilt and shame. Let go and remember how you are worthy of the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 9, 2022Today in worship, we are going to focus our attention on the fifth and final Core Value at Cypress Creek Christian Church: Worship. There is no way I could fully explain the concept of worship in a single sermon, and this morning, I won’t even try. There are many wonderful and positive ways of thinking about worship, but I believe there are a few less
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 8, 2022Psalm 98 begins with the words, “Sing to the LORD a new song because he has done wonderful things!” The Israelites will sing a new song as they gather and ponder the “wonderful things” the Lord has done. It’s interesting how the “wonderful things” appear, at least as I read the entire Psalm, to be those things that happened in the past. In fact, I
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 7, 2022Important Safety Tip – Do not try to write your daily Etching without glasses. A few days ago, I was up early and started writing my Etching for the next day. I left my glasses in the bedroom, and though I do not have the worst eyesight in the world, looking at a screen early in the morning left me with some fuzziness. Mostly, I