This morning I was a first time visitor at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City. About St. Paul's St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral was founded more than 125 years ago and has been listed on on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977. Located in downtown Oklahoma City the cathedral is the spiritual center of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma. Today, St. Paul's is "committed to being a place for all who seek and share God's unconditional and abundant love, Read More …
Discipleship
My Visit to Quail Springs United Methodist (#2260)
This morning I worshipped for the fourth time this year and eighth time in the last two years in Oklahoma. My prior experiences include: About Quail Springs United Methodist Quail Springs United Methodist Church is "an inclusive, diverse, and faithful community, that shares the love of God, beginning with our neighborhood and extending to a needy world" that seeks to "make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." The congregation is part of the Reconciling Read More …
From One Church to Many Churches (#2259)
On August 31 I concluded a 14 month role as the Interim Senior Pastor of Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Arlington, Texas (see Keep Living and Loving Like Jesus). In the three weeks since, I've enjoyed three very different worship experiences in nearby congregations affiliated with three denominations. Week 1: Cathedral of Hope On September 7, I worshipped at the 10:00am service at my home church: Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ in Dallas. Week 2: Nor'kirk Read More …
A New Presbyterian Experience (#2258)
As someone who has spent about half of my life as a Presbyterian, I'm thankful for new opportunities within this tradition. Today, I served as the guest preacher at Nor'kirk Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Carrollton, Texas, on the occasion of their Round Up Sunday (elsewhere commonly referred to as Rally Day or Kick Off Sunday). Notably, this congregation is preparing to celebrate their 50th anniversary next month. My message, Love Wastefully, is based on Luke 15:1-32. You can view it Read More …
Avoid Counterfeits (#2257)
Passage for reflection: 1 Timothy 1:1-11 Thrifting – thrift store shopping – has grown in popularity in recent years. I happen to have some behind the scenes knowledge of the industry thanks to operating three very different stores that support three ministries seeking to make God’s kindom more real in their backyards. Each of these stores relies exclusively on donated goods for their inventory. The volunteers who receive and process these gifts often find incredible gems. I’ve heard Read More …
Keep Living and Loving Like Jesus (#2255)
Today I preached my final sermon as Interim Senior Pastor of Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA). It was the concluding message in the Discovering Joy series. Sermon My message, “Do You Know?” is based on Philippians 4:4-9 & John 21:15-17. You can watch below or read the manuscript. Excerpt As someone who was born in Arlington, grew up in Arlington, and now lives in Arlington I’ve traveled down South Cooper Street thousands of times. Despite passing by Advent on nearly all Read More …
Top 10 Sermons Preached at Advent Lutheran Church (#2254)
This Sunday will be my final day as the Interim Senior Pastor of Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Arlington, Texas. Over the last fourteen months I have preached more than 50 sermons in this congregation. The top ten, based on YouTube views are (sermon titles link to videos) Top Series Organizing the top sermons by the sermon series they were a part of reveals that five different series appeared in the top ten list. The top series, as reflected by most sermons in the top ten, Read More …
I Wanna Try to Get to Heaven, if Possible (#2253)
This morning at Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA) we continued the Discovering Joy series. Sermon My message, “Do You Know?” is based on Philippians 3:1-14 & Matthew 16:24-25. You can watch below or read the manuscript. Excerpt This week, during a Tuesday morning television interview, President Donald Trump said, "I wanna try and get to heaven if possible. I'm hearing I'm not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole.”[1] To repeat, the Read More …
Giving Thanks: 14 Months of Worship in the ELCA (#2251)
In June 2024, I announced that I was returning to parish ministry after having stepped away almost a decade earlier. As an ordained United Church of Christ (UCC) pastor, I was invited to serve a congregation affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This is possible thanks to the full communion agreement in place between these denominations, which provides recognition of each tradition's clergy and allows them to serve across denominational lines. Advent Read More …
Partners in Christ’s Service (#2250)
This morning at Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA) we started a new sermon series: Discovering Joy. Additionally, we celebrated the Blessing of the Backpacks in preparation for a new school year. Sermon My message, “Partners in Faith,” is based on Philippians 1:1-18a and John 15:12-17. You can watch below (note this recording is missing the first 45 seconds or so of the message due to technical issues) or read the manuscript. Excerpt Everywhere we turn everyone Read More …