Since I don’t have children, I’ve never seen the actual birth of a baby. But I have had the blessing of seeing a child hours after having entered the world.
Sermon: “There Goes the Neighborhood”
Sermon: “Blasphemous Rumors”
Those are the lyrics of a song called “Blasphemous Rumors” by the British New Wave band Depeche Mode. It’s an interesting song, because it takes on the topic of suffering and where faith intersects.
Repost: On Funerals and Christian Cliches
On Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year is a time many churches have "Blue Christmas" services. Mindful of that, I wanted to share this post from 2012. This past weekend, I was in Orlando, Florida for the funeral of an uncle. My Uncle David was the youngest of my mother's siblings dying at... Continue Reading →
A More Excellent Way
And I’m going to show you an even better way. -I Corinthians 12:31 I remember several years ago reading a newsstory about the same-sex marriage debate taking place in the Canadian province of Alberta. Two men who wanted to get married took the province to court and won. When asked about the verdict, one of... Continue Reading →
Repost: God Doesn’t Love the One Percent.
From 2012. I have a mixed relationship with Mary's Magnificat found in Luke 1. On the one hand it is a wonderful message of justice; that the lowly in life will be vindicated and remembered by God. I love singing the song A Canticle of the Turning by Rory Cooney. But the text also is... Continue Reading →
Sermon: “What Are You Dreaming Of?”
A sermon from 2004 preached on the third Sunday of Advent. “What are you Dreaming Of?” Luke 1:47-55, Matthew 11:2-11 December 12, 2004 Community of Grace Christian Church St. Paul, Minnesota I don’t know, but I sometimes wonder if we start to dread this time of year more as we get older. It’s the little... Continue Reading →
Sermon: “Things Can Only Get Better”
“Things Can Only Get Better” Isaiah 11:1-10 Second Sunday of Advent December 8, 2013 First Christian Church Mahtomedi, MN When I Daniel and I moved to our house in North Minneapolis back in 2007, there was a large Silver Maple tree in the backyard. This tree was quite fruitful, because we were always getting rid... Continue Reading →
Odds and Ends
A few things on my mind: I'm about to declare a war on the war on the war on Christmas. Progressive and Evangelical Christians lob attacks at each other. Ummm...guys, remember we're supposed to be focusing on that Jesus guy? David Brooks, who is back to his writing gig at the New York Times after... Continue Reading →
A Few Thoughts on Dave Ramsey and Poverty
I don't follow financial guru Dave Ramsey much. I've heard him a few times on NPR, and I know he's about offering folks some practical advice on debt and basically how to live financially. I also know that he blends his faith into his talks on economics. I think he does a good job with... Continue Reading →
Sermon: “What the World Needs Now”
“What the World Needs Now” Isaiah 2:1-5 First Sunday of Advent December 1, 2013 First Christian Church Mahtomedi, MN The thing about being from Flint, MI is that the minute you say where you are from the next words that comes out a person’s mouth is something related to “Roger and Me.” As most of... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 