I put together a Bible Study for the folks at church each week. I usually include a relfection on the lectionary verse as well. I've been meaning to put these online; and here they are on my lectionary blog, Come Sunday. Click on the link below to read the reflection for this Sunday. via... Continue Reading →
Sermon: “The Healing Power of Collard Greens”
This is a sermon I preached on Easter evening in 2005. It is the text I will be preaching on this Sunday for the Third Sunday in Easter. Luke 24:13-35 April 10, 2005 Community of Grace Christian Church St. Paul, MN I love good food, and it probably shows. I consider myself lucky to be... Continue Reading →
Via Media Disciples?
I've noticed a blog called Via Media Methodists which is trying to get out of the left-right box the American church finds itself in. That leaves me wondering: are there a group of Disciples who want to elevate the discourse in our tradition? This is how Via Media Methodists describe themselves: Via media, Latin for... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Be Prophetic, Part Three
It was two years ago, that I wondered aloud what it meant to be prophetic. I've heard that phrase a lot in many of the progressive circles I've been in, but I've always wondered if what is called prophetic is nothing more than espousing your ideology and wrapping it up in God-language. What does it... Continue Reading →
Hanging Out With Dennis
I've never been the guy that people want to hang out with. I've never been the person that people really want to confide in. For the most part, I've been the guy on the outside of the group. None of this means that I have no friends. It does mean that there is a certain... Continue Reading →
Sermon: “The Cruelty of April”
The sermon podcast is at the bottom of this post. Matthew 28:1-10 and Acts 10:34-43 Easter Sunday April 20, 2014 First Christian Church Mahtomedi, MN It was the poet T.S. Elliot that once said that April was the cruelest month. Living as we do in the Northern United States, we know that April is all... Continue Reading →
Maundy Thursday Meditation
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 About fifteen years ago, I saw a wonderful movie called Soul Food. The movie was about an African American family in Chicago where the family gathered weekly after church for a meal cooked by the matriarch of the family. The meal was filled with things that I love: fried chicken, collard greens,... Continue Reading →
Sermon: “When Love Comes to Town”
Matthew 21:1-11 and Phillipians 2:5-11 Palm Sunday April 13, 2014 First Christian Church Mahtomedi, MN If you were watching the recently concluded Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, you might have caught a commercial that has gone viral. It’s an ad for Cadillac and features a well-dressed man comparing hard-working, some might say overworked Americans to... Continue Reading →
Why is the Mainline Losing Young Adults?
On Saturday, Methodist pastor Alan Bevere wondered why mainline churches are losing their young adults. This was my response. This is probably going to be a future blog post, but I will offer a few observations. First, mainline churches have done a poor job when it comes to campus ministry with one exception: the Lutherans.... Continue Reading →
On the Babylonian Captivity of the Mainline Protestant Church
"Be in the world, but not of the world." That was a phrase I heard a lot when I was growing up. In my evangelical upbringing, there was a stress about living where we are, but not follow the ways of the world. According to the phrase, we are to follow Jesus and not gods... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 