Congregational Stewardship
“From Scrolls to Scrolling” is a fascinating article about the “technology” of Judaism. Ever since the COVID pandemic, I’ve been intrigued by the Christian worship seasons and the reassuring framework they give to help us steer our way through time, so this piece in the latest issue of The Plough immediately caught my eye. J.…
Read More“Nourishing Our Souls” was the name of a retreat I attended recently. It was led by colleague and friend Rev. Maggie McNaught. She’s a therapist, spiritual director, and minister, but don’t let that fool you. She doesn’t live inside a conventional religious box. She’s always reaching out for the Spirit, beyond the usual parameters. I…
Read MoreWho knew that reading the Book of Job would be about so much more than just dealing with unfair suffering – as if that weren’t enough! Chapter by chapter, the Book breaks down our conventional wisdom that denies the suffering of innocents. Reading it is not for the faint of heart! But as I read…
Read MoreThese are more than just “tough days.” Ever since emerging from the pandemic, it seems we’ve been ripping away at our own social fabric, with take-no-prisoners politics, arbitrary violence, and Armageddon thinking. If there was ever a time requiring resilience, we could say it is now. “Resilience” is actually something scientists have been studying. They…
Read MoreReign of Christ Sunday is hardly a household phrase, much less its earlier designation (begun in the 1920s), “Christ the King Sunday.” This is a special worship day – the end and climax of the entire Liturgical Year – that points to an important head-and-heart experience for a follower of Jesus. It celebrates the sovereignty…
Read MoreI’ve never been the Chicken Little type of person to cry, “The sky is falling!” But I do believe in taking a sober look around when necessary to reassess the situation, in order to search for some genuinely good news. That’s why now is an essential time to reassess our need for a stronger foundation…
Read MoreYesterday was the twelfth anniversary of my mom’s passing. I’m proud of her vibrant legacy. She was an intrinsic writer infused with high-energy living. Officially a traditional homemaker until she was fifty. Mom was basically a community advocate and organizer whose commitment arose out of following that radical1 Jesus. She entered Stanford at age sixteen,…
Read MoreI read an interesting book review in the Christian Century encouraging Christians to read – and not just the Bible. It was Erik Hoeke’s review of Jessica Hooten Wilson’s new book, Reading for the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice. It’s a good bet that readers of the Christian Century, the…
Read MoreOverusing God? What could that mean? A momentary struggle with that phrase led me to wonder and to worship. I learned a long time back that our language not only reflects our thoughts, but also shapes them. For example, if we think “friend” as our default language, we’ll begin with a positive attitude toward another…
Read MoreCome Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that…
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