Thoughts and Prayers Are NOT Enough!

Last night and this morning as I watched the numbers climb in the latest mass shooting in the USA, I couldn’t help but think that there IS a reason that this bad, this horrendous, this EVIL thing keeps happening. The inability, or unwillingness, to take on the powerful gun lobby in the USA.

Choices

How many of you have seen this image this past week? A California church is displaying a nativity scene that depicts Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as refugees in cages. Claremont United Methodist Church converted the traditional nativity scene into the Holy Family being separated at the border and in cages. They have received a both…

Actively Waiting for Peace

The people who walked in darkness, have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined… Those words, from the prophet Isaiah, are the very first words that I spoke as a worship leader, about 25 years ago. It was Christmas Eve, and the confirmation class…

Who Wants to Get Stoned?

  People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. A rolling stone gathers no moss. The only difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is the way you use them. There is no end to quotes about stones. How many of you were scratching your head at the sign this week? Gary was a bit skeptical when I told…

Don’t Wait!

I was listening to a Ted Talk on my way to the church early last week. TED is a nonpartisan non-profit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global…

The Jesus Business

That passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth is often read at weddings, to the extent that one year, I was tempted to take if off my suggested list of readings for weddings. And a few months ago, I saw something on Facebook; advice to a teenage girl on how to know whether…

And the Spirit Laughed!

The community I serve has been devastated by the tragic deaths of two teenage girls last month and, as we all know,  there has been a lot of grief/violence/death in the world. i had the bright idea of creating space to ‘Pause’ in the sanctuary in one of the churches while we had our annual…