I began a recent sermon with these words, “It’s getting harder and harder to be the Church.” This may have come as a surprise to many lay people, but I can promise you, those words would not have shocked any pastors I know. Almost all of the United Methodist churches I know are struggling financially. [...]
Today I have stayed inside the entire day, except for a brief foray over to the church to pick up a commentary on John’s gospel. The lectionary text for Sunday is the entire ninth chapter of John, the story of Jesus’ encounter with the man born blind. You remember the story I hope…Jesus and his [...]
Today while at home recovering from the flu, I listened to a recent interview with Parker J. Palmer, a writer, teacher, and activist in education and leadership. I had read his book, The Courage to Teach, as a requirement for a leadership course I was involved in a few years ago, so I was not [...]
I knew as soon as I woke up this morning that something was badly wrong. By 11:00 a.m., I knew I had to have some kind of relief, so I did something I almost never do…called the doctor to make an appointment (that’s how Judy knows if I’m really sick!). The ladies in Dr. Bellingham’s [...]
Marcus Borg recently described an encounter he had with a fellow airline passenger while flying across the country. His seatmate was a woman who said she was very interested in religion and spirituality, but Christianity held no attraction for her because it was all about believing rather than becoming. I understand very well where that lady was [...]
I don’t know what you might think of Oscar Wilde, but as a playwright, novelist, and author of short stories, he has a reputation for being among the best. His life, however, was troubled, and a part of that struggle was with his sexuality. Arrested and imprisoned for 2 years, he had plenty of time to [...]
This Sunday’s lectionary text is John 4:5-42. Yes…a lot of verses, and that is significant because it’s the longest recorded conversation Jesus ever had with anybody, including his disciples. There is so much preaching material in this passage that I hardly know where to start. The Bible doesn’t have a lot to say about women, [...]
heaven.mp3 . Please note that there is a pause part way through the sermon as the tape is turned over. It will pick up where it left off. Thanks. sk
Even as I wrote the title for this article, I got a little knot in my stomach. I have to be so careful when dealing with this subject, careful not to offend those who don’t see things exactly as I do. There is nothing about being a pastor that precludes me from having political opinions, [...]
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