ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 10, 2022I’m guessing most of you have heard the saying: “To err is human, to forgive divine.” I don’t know why I always assumed it was Shakespeare, but in fact, it was Alexander Pope in the early 18th century. Over the years, I have heard a few people use it as a cover for not forgiving. In their thinking, forgiveness belongs to God and not to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 8, 2022Sharing a Blog Post from Rev. Mariah NewellI had a kid in VBS say to me today, “Am I good?” I responded with “Of course you are good and it’s not just me that thinks you’re good, remember the story yesterday? God called all people, including you, VERY good!” She looked down at her feet and said, “but I’m bad sometimes…” I said, “Maybe there
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 8, 2022This past Sunday I preached on God’s forgiveness. Though I acknowledge a few passages in the Bible where God is not presented as forgiving, the preponderance of passages suggest a God whose capacity to forgive is well beyond anything we could imagine. In Collisions 3, we read: “As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other.” How people perceive God’s forgiveness dramatically influences how
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 7, 2022What scares you? What causes anxiety within you? I’m sure there are as many answers as there are people reading this, probably double. We read in scripture the words: “‘Fear not, for I am with you.’ says the Lord.” Those are powerful words, but I can still be frightened. In Psalm 27, we read: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 5, 2022Prayer for the Week: God of Abundant Mercy and Immeasurable Forgiveness, we come before you to reaffirm the Good News of your loving kindness for all of humanity. We also reaffirm a longstanding commitment to the work of sharing this message with those who have been made to feel unworthy and beyond your gracious reach. May the love we know become the love we give;
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 5, 2022It is Pentecost Sunday, and the conclusion of our 50th Anniversary Celebration. We will find out who won the raffle, along with having a dessert auction and an opportunity to sample some other desserts (feel free to make donations for the items you taste). All the money goes to support New Church Development within our denomination. And of course, don’t forget to dress in your
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 3, 2022This coming Sunday is not only Pentecost Sunday, but the conclusion of our 50th Anniversary Celebration. We are continuing to collect gifts toward the Special Pentecost Offering that goes to support New Church in our denomination. Before coming to Cypress Creek Christian Church, I was asked to consider being a new church developer. It was intriguing and exciting, but it is one of those situations
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 2, 2022The Prophets seemed to suggest that nations would be judged on how they cared for the most vulnerable. The categories most often referenced by the prophets were: the poor, widows, orphans, sick and immigrants. I do not want to give the impression of being absolutely positive, but I feel pretty confident in saying these are general categories and do not represent the complete and final
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 1, 2022On the Day of Pentecost, the scriptures speak of a sound like the rush of a violent wind. In my life, I have been in a couple of tornadoes. In both cases, I was outside and watched the tornadoes move across fields. Even from a fair distance, there was a distinct sound. Some describe it as a loud train, and though I don’t know if
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 31, 2022This coming Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, often thought of as the Birthday of the Church. Pentecost was originally a Jewish holiday, and people were gathering in Jerusalem for the celebrations when something unexpected happened. At the beginning of Acts 2, it says: “When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place,” but there is no mention of the followers