When I think about the recent horrific shooting of young Ralph Yarl, a young black man who went to the wrong house to pick up his siblings and was shot by an elderly white man, my thoughts go to a similar experience I went through growing up and also to my late elderly father. Let me... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Resurrection Means Hope
What does it mean that Christ Is Risen?
Retirement of Clockwork Pastor, Moving to Electric Parson
After eleven years I've decided to formally retire this blog. I haven't really used it actively in years so it's time. But even though I've moved on to writing on Medium and Substack, I still want to blog. It's kind of a great way to write and a good first draft for my writing. So,... Continue Reading →
Sermon: But Did You See the Gorilla?
Photo by David Gonzales on Pexels.com John 9:1-41| Fourth Sunday in Lent | March 19, 2023 | First Christian Church Roseville, MN Maybe you’ve seen the video. It’s the one where you are asked to count how many times a basketball is passed by a group of people as they move in what seems to... Continue Reading →
Sermon: The Gospel Is Inclusive
Photo by Gotta Be Worth It on Pexels.com Third Sunday in Lent | John 4:5-42 | March 12, 2023 | Dennis Sanders, preaching It was nearly 8 years ago that First Christian Church of St. Paul made a decision to become an Open and Affirming Congregation. That means that we openly welcome LGBTQ people into... Continue Reading →
About Those Flying Drummers…
Did you see the TikTok clip of a church in Texas that had flying drummers for their Christmas program? What did you think of it?
Episode 112: Sabbath-Keeping for Congregations with Kara Root
How practicing sabbath can change a congregation and a culture.
Episode 114: The Digital Church with Jim Keat
In the wake of the 2020 COVID pandemic, churches were forced into the digital frontier whether they liked it or not. But now what?
Podcast: Camp Ministry w/ Jared Rendell
Church Camp can mean more to their life of faith than just a "camp high."
Giving Thanks in Advent World
Thanksgiving is a time of looking back and giving thanks to God. Advent is a time of looking forward and living into God's promised future. Below, I did a video on Advent and Thanksgiving in light of the recent shooting at an LGBTQ bar in Colorado Springs. https://youtu.be/pwnUqiZh-ic