She was five, sure of the facts, and recited them with slow solemnity convinced every word was revelation. She said they were so poor they had only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat and they went a long way from home without getting lost. The lady rode a donkey, the man walked, and the [...]
Many people have asked why I’m pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Transformation. That’s a really good question. Basically, the answer is, “I want to be spiritually transformed by God so I can help others be spiritually transformed by God.” There was an article in The Huffington Post last week that spoke clearly and [...]
Continue reading about It’s the Spirituality, Stupid: Vital Congregations Cultivate Personal Piety
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) It’s been quite a whirlwind of a summer! If I hadn’t encountered God’s sense of mystery (and humor) before, I would be wondering if [...]
On February 27th, the Sunday of our semi-annual congregational meeting, I preached on a book by Kennon Callahan, called Small, Strong Congregations: Creating Strengths and Health for Your Congregation. At each of the worship services that morning, we took a survey of the eight areas of ministry that might be strengths for our congregation. We [...]
Continue reading about Determining the Strengths of Christ Lutheran Church
Lucille and I bonded the other day at Wal-Mart. I’d never met Lucille before, but we instantly formed a bond because we both like to iron. I bought a new iron to keep at church in case my robe or an altar parament has gotten wrinkled and needs to be ironed. Lucille, the check-out lady, [...]
One of my very favorite toys growing up was Lite-Brite. I loved Lite-Brite because what looked like little white letters on a black sheet of paper became a brilliant picture made with multi-colored translucent pegs that I had poked through the black paper to make. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen! Today, technology [...]
. On January 2, I shared the story of a young artist named Stephanie, who refers to herself more as a dreamer than an artist. A friend of mine shared a video on Facebook about Stephanie and it really struck a chord with me. Stephanie does not use a regular canvas to paint on. Instead, [...]
Continue reading about Painting Over the Brokenness of Our Lives
As ironic as it is, I have discovered Mary Oliver, a poet who speaks God’s words of truth, grace and conviction to me. Her poem titled “Praying” from her book Thirst is one I’d like to share with you today: Praying It doesn’t have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a [...]
I have been reading a number of books by Henri Nouwen recently. My favorite book (so far) has been his little book on prayer titled, With Open Hands. In the introduction, Pastor Nouwen writes, “Praying is no easy matter. It demands a relationship in which you allow someone other than yourself to enter into the [...]
We have seen some major changes in our house of the Lord over the past few years. It seemed that every part of our building, from the education wing to the narthex had some type of upgrade, except the sanctuary. Until now. A few weeks ago, I watched carpet installers cut, roll up, and throw [...]
