ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 10, 2022In today’s sermon, I am referencing Fr. Thomas Keating, an amazing monk who provided great thoughts on prayer and meditation. His best known quote is probably, Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation. Those words are wonderfully thought-provoking, but perhaps my favorite quote is: St. Teresa of Avila wrote: “All difficulties in prayer can be traced to one cause: praying as
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 9, 2022Tomorrow, I will be preaching on prayer. Now let’s be honest — that’s sort of a go-to topic for ministers when they don’t know what to say. In this case, I will be preaching on prayer tomorrow and again the following Sunday. This is to surround a Prayer Service being held in the chapel this Wednesday at 6:30pm. It will be guided by Pat Cooksey,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 8, 2022Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one’s heart. It means rather to find the way to God and to speak with God, whether the heart is full or empty.” I don’t believe Bonhoeffer was suggesting God is uninterested in what is on our hearts, but the ultimate goal is to align ourselves with the ways of God. As Christians, we
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 7, 2022Have you ever been tickled with what autocorrect gave you as its interpretation? Now it is important to know that my fingers were a bit off on the keyboard when I tried to type “thankfulness,” but it autocorrected to “the gout.” I’ve never had gout, but I’m pretty sure no one has ever felt a sense of thankfulness, except when it subsides. I remember being
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 6, 2022The Russian novelist, Vladimir Nabokov, wrote: “Solitude is the playfield of Satan.” This statement might appear a bit strange after yesterday’s Etching where I referenced the importance of finding time to pause and get away with God. Is solitude a good thing or not? Should we try to find a little prayer time in some quiet and deserted place? I think the answer is still
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 5, 2022I’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 course, this
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 4, 2022Prayer for the Week (this is a portion of the prayer from yesterday’s worship service): When despair and a sense of defeat grip us, let us turn to you anew, Amazing God. Let us turn to you and take a closer look at what you are doing in this world. You do not give up on us, but are in fact finding new and creative
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 3, 2022I think most folks know the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: “The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Those are words spoken in faith, as Dr. King did not see in his lifetime the justice for which he worked. I found it interesting to learn that King’s words were a paraphrase of a sermon delivered in 1853
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 2, 2022On occasion, the Judge next door to the church will invite one of the ministerial staff over to do a wedding when he’s unavailable. I appreciate the relationship we have with the county, and I also want to be as supportive and helpful to the county as the county is to us. But I’ve discovered that I never know what unusual thing will happen at
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 1, 2022Today is the birthday of one of my two favorite sisters. Ok, I only have two sisters, and they are both amazing. Today is Bev’s birthday. Beverly is one of the most kind and compassionate people I know, while also refusing to be quiet in the face of injustice or acts of mean-spiritedness. I give thanks for how she educates herself and seeks to understand