ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 25, 2023A Prayer For The Week (modified from a prayer used on Sunday)For every-ONE, for every single person who has experienced firsthand the pain of lostness, of being left behind, of being scapegoated, we turn to you, O Generous and Loving God, as we search for another way—including, if necessary, a change of attitude, mindset, and purpose. You held nothing back in your loving pursuit of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 24, 2023It is Sunday—isn’t it amazing how it seems to come back around every week? There is a pattern to our lives, and though some people push back against structure and regular practices, such things tend to create a rhythm that allows for more to be accomplished in a single day, along with keeping chaos at bay and helping to create a design for life that
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 23, 2023Tomorrow, I get to preach on the topic I’ve been discussing almost all week here in my Etchings. The sermon will be based on the three parables in Luke’s Gospel, the three lost “items” — sheep, coin, son. Of course, I plan to turn the parable a little upside down in regard to who exactly is lost, but you’ll need to be there tomorrow to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 22, 2023There are moments in the life of the church when I am so overwhelmed by the amazing history, stories, and giftedness of people. Sometimes, simply in passing, we have absolutely no comprehension of someone’s life experiences that have shaped them. Years ago, I was invited to walk alongside a woman after she went into hospice care. She had many physical health problems, including lung cancer
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 21, 2023I am guessing that most of us are drawn to stories about amazing rescues. Someone jumps into the water, runs into a burning building, or steps into some other dangerous situation to save an individual in need. And probably like many of you, I also enjoy watching the animal rescues—a dog is trapped on a shed as waters rise, a cat has fallen into a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 20, 2023As I shared yesterday, we will begin a new series on the importance of the “one.” This Sunday, I will focus on Luke’s Gospel, and the three parables about the lost — the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (15:1-32). Many people read the first of the three parables and throw the sheep under the bus for getting lost. “Thank goodness,” people
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 19, 2023This coming Sunday, we will begin a new series where we will talk about the importance of the “one.” In our culture, we have a strange game we play based on where we believe someone falls on our “worthiness” scale. A lot of folks pretend they don’t have such a scale, but a whole host of things play into our opinions on someone’s worth, and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 18, 2023Prayer for the Week:I seek to make this a week that honors you, Gracious God. May the words I choose honor you. May the decisions I make honor you. May the use of my physical energy honor you. May the quiet and prayerful moments honor you. Despite my best efforts, I know there will be moments this week when something will not honor you. In
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 17, 2023In Jonah 2, we read the words: “Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, ‘I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.’” I don’t know about you, but I sure have never found myself in the belly of a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 16, 2023Have you ever come across an idea that initially catches your attention and then, as time passes, it gnaws on your soul like a dog gnaws on a bone? This happened to me recently when I read some words belonging to George Bernard Shaw. He wrote, “We are made wise not by the recollection of our past but by the responsibility for our future.” I