ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGMarch 21, 2022Prayer for the Week: O Merciful God, allow for your life-giving sustenance to flow into our hearts anew this day. Be for us a fountain from which we can drink your blessings of love and mercy. Many of us are thirsty; many of us are parched; many of us are longing for the living water you provide. Take us to where we can drink from
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGMarch 20, 2022From her book, Christianity After Religion, Diana Butler Bass wrote the following: “All Christian practices work in this way. The practice of hospitality opens our hearts to those who are strangers; it anticipates that, in God’s kingdom, there will one day be no strangers. The practice of forgiveness cleanses our souls from guilt and shame; it anticipates that, in God’s kingdom, all will be forgiven.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGMarch 19, 2022I was really struck two days ago by some words from Barbara Brown Taylor, one of the great Christian preachers and authors. She wrote, “Whatever Judas’s degree of guilt and whatever his motive, it is extremely important to note that Jesus identifies his betrayer by feeding him… dipping a morsel into his own cup and giving it to Judas, whose feet he has just washed.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGMarch 18, 2022I brought this apple to work yesterday. I knew it was going to be a long day with my 6:30pm class. I had bought two of these apples, and I ate the other one a few days ago. It was one of the better apples I’ve had in ages. I had been longing to eat the second apple, and so last night about 45 minutes
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGMarch 17, 2022Hydration is important for any runner, but some drink from the wrong “well.” That might sound strange, but too much water, especially for a distance runner, can dilute the sodium level in one’s blood. Hyponatremia is dangerously low sodium in the body, and it has been known to cause death in runners. This is not intended to be a science lesson or a word of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGMarch 16, 2022We should always be suspect of a religion when it uses the weak, the marginalized or the oppressed as a scapegoat. We follow one who sacrificed himself for the sake of the people who have long been used as scapegoats. For that reason, I see it as a red flag whenever a religion (religious leader) throws a powerless group under the bus by saying, “Those
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGMarch 15, 2022I was looking for a quote the other day, and in the process came across another quote that I had never read before. It was from Helen Keller, and she said, “No one has a right to consume happiness without producing it.” I both agree and disagree. In a sort of generic way, I am in total agreement. People should not think of themselves as
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGMarch 14, 2022Prayer for the Week:Helplessness brings exhaustionHopelessness yields a weariness of the soulAnother bomb dropsWhat can we do?Another family flees out of fearHow can we help?Another child suffers in mind and bodyWhen will it all stop?We cry out to you, Holy God!Are you listening?Are you aware of what is happening?Is there any chance for peace?Can this moment be redeemed?The questions are manyThe despair is mountingProvide us
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGMarch 13, 2022Today is the day! Today is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Today is the celebration of our 50th Anniversary as a church. I know you might be a little sleepy as the alarm went off at the same time as it does every Sunday, but it doesn’t feel like the same time. You’re feeling like you
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGMarch 12, 2022So how do you celebrate 50 years as a church? Today, March 12, is the actual 50th Anniversary of Cypress Creek Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It was 50 years ago today that a handful of folks met at the home of Bill and Betty Ayers, and there they officially recognized themselves as a New Church. As I said at Betty’s Memorial Service just one