Theologian Stanley Hauerwas writes, “The work of Jesus was not a new set of ideals or principles for reforming or even revolutionizing society, but the establishment of a new community, a people that embodied forgiveness, sharing and self sacrificing love in its rituals and discipline.  In that sense the visible church is Read More...

I love the summer.  When I was a kid summer was for playing baseball with my buddies, hanging out at the beach or just sitting around in the evening watching the Giants beat the Dodgers (that didn’t really happen very often back then). Save The long days of summer also give us Read More...

Summer means vacations, lots of ice tea, time at the neighborhood pool and the chance to read more than usual. Here are a few of the books on my reading list for the next three months. Disciples and the Bible, M Eugene Boring. This will be a great way to refresh my Read More...

A young man visited the great theologian, Martin Luther.  This man was worried that he may be committing a sin without knowing it.  He was concerned that he may be sent to eternal fire for something he didn’t even realize he was doing wrong. This poor guy had almost no faith.  He Read More...

While on retreat a few weeks ago with a group known as The Desert Brothers one of the guys showed the rest of us an ad from a magazine.  It was a promo piece for Bose earphones.  The ad said: you’ll love what you hearand what you don’t. Excitedly he said, “I Read More...

Elizabeth Weil observes what is happening in the world of young people.  In order to get ready for these new days she writes, “Prepare to feel obsolete. It’s the first step to moving ahead.” The first time I read that I put a question mark in the margin.  The next time I Read More...

A friend of mine in ministry was leading a stewardship campaign. He told his congregation about the studies of Elizabeth Kubler Ross. She was a trailblazer in the study of how people die. Some of her work seems simple now but she was a pioneer. When she reviewed the thousands of interviews Read More...

Easter asks us to name what we worry about and bring it to God. Easter asks us to face the things that we are afraid of the most (like death and taxes!) and place them on a cross shaped altar.  Easter says “forget about being in control and give yourself to God.” Read More...

The Bible is an amazing collection of writings.  They were collected over hundreds of years.  Reading the Bible thoughtfully reveals that there is a wide variety of styles and forms within this sacred treasury.  One can find history, poetry, hymns, letters, sermons, legal documents, and more.  Within the books themselves there are Read More...

Have you heard the story of a man who is dying at home in bed? He could smell the aroma of chocolate chip cookies – his favorite – baking in the kitchen. He was on his death bed but he wanted just one more cookie before he died. He crawled out of Read More...

My friend Russell, a preacher, says that every one of us deals, every moment of every day, with great temptation. That temptation is hurting us; that temptation is killing the church.The temptation he is talking about is probably not what you might think. The temptation he has in mind is the temptation Read More...

My Feb. 12 sermon, “The Modern Church,” received a great amount of comment. I am grateful for the many kind words. Many of our younger members have contacted me with their thoughts and ideas on how we might move as a congregation into this new era. I am grateful for their willingness Read More...

The weather outside has been delightful but the long winter nights have been the perfect set up for reading some terrific books. Here’s what’s gotten my attention lately. The Naked Now, by Richard Rohr, is one of the best books I have read in the last couple of years. He takes a Read More...

I’ve spent a lot of time the last couple of weeks working on sermon series ideas for the new year.  Lara, our Director of Communications, and Lauren, our Director of Church Growth, were very helpful in this process.  They let me know what sounded interesting and what sounded like an invitation to Read More...

“Just be you” were the words John spoke to me a few years ago when I went into the soundproof room to record a radio ad for the Christmas Eve service.  That’s pretty good advice for most of us, most of the time but it was a little strange in that moment. Read More...