Last Sunday I attended my first in person worship service in over a year. For that outdoor service at First Presbyterian Church (Fort Worth, TX) I sat masked in a socially distanced chair with fewer than 20 other outdoor attendees - a group which was supplemented by folks worshipping in a nearby parking lot in their vehicles. (For more on this check out my post titled First in Person Worship Experience in a Year.) Today was another milestone day: I attended my first indoor worship service in Read More …
Discipleship
Giving Up Worship in Indoor Sacred Spaces (#1920)
For Lent, I’m giving up something big: the church I always knew. And, unlike past Lenten disciplines that ended on Easter, this change is one I expect to be permanent. Indoor Sacred Spaces as Primary From birth through childhood, adolescence, young adulthood and into middle age I have participated in weekly Sunday morning worship almost every week of every year of my life. At least 98% of those worship services occurred indoors within the walls of congregations I Read More …
First In Person Worship Experience in a Year (#1919)
I attended in person worship for the first time in over a year earlier today! First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth created and has continually updated and followed a reopening plan that is based on data not dates. After a few months of providing a parking lot service during which all attendees were required to remain in their vehicles (I shared my initial experience in "New Year, New Worship Experience"), the congregation added an in person element to this weekly worship service Read More …
Giving Up Mainline Protestantism (#1917)
For Lent, I'm giving up something big: the church I always knew. And, unlike past Lenten disciples that ended on Easter, this change is one I expect to be permanent. My Christian Identity For all of my life, I've self-identified as a Mainline Protestant. Despite this unchanging identification, I've spent significant time outside my own tradition. My experiences beyond the Mainline include Worship. I've visited and worshipped in dozens of congregations affiliated with a variety Read More …
Giving Up the Church I Always Knew (#1916)
For the last fifteen or so years I've focused on approaching life, ministry, and the life of faith from a both/and perspective rather than the either/or framework that was normative in my earlier years. For Lent, I'm accustomed to both giving something up and adding something on as a way of growing in my faith. In past years, items in both the giving up and adding on categories have been mundane. They were not original. Nonetheless, they were helpful. This year, for Lent I'm formally Read More …
Staying Home, Staying Warm (#1915)
Some assumptions go unspoken. For example, I had always assumed it would be safe (and even wise) to leave my house and to interact with other people every day. That assumption was challenged almost a year ago with the arrival of a global pandemic known as COVID-19. In response to COVID-19, I've learned new ways of being out and about in the larger world, have modified interpersonal interactions to provide enhanced safety, and have increased the percentage of interactions conducted Read More …
Stranded? (#1913)
If you are anything like me, you know what you'll be doing and when. Planning wisely is key, and executing a plan on schedule is vital. Experiencing the Unexpected Yesterday I pulled into a gas station to refuel my SUV. I pushed the button in the cabin to open the fuel door, exited my vehicle, and noticed the door had not opened. I leaned back into my vehicle, pushed the button a second time, heard the sound I assumed was the door opening. Unfortunately while my actions had been Read More …
Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine (#1912)
What does it mean to love one's neighbor? This is a question that followers of the Way of Jesus should ask (and also answer) regularly. And, it is a question with innumerable answers. Get Vaccinated During the COVID-19 pandemic, one clear way to love one's neighbor is to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. My Experience Yesterday I received an automated notification that I was eligible to be vaccinated today at a set location and at a given time. I quickly rearranged my Read More …
Never Lose Hope (#1911)
Passage for reflection: Psalm 62:5-6 Recent news headlines demonstrate the heaviness of the present moment. Nearly 400,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. Domestic terrorists engaged in an insurrection in our nation's capital. Hungry people wait for hours in their vehicles at food banks for the opportunity to feed their families. For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is in God. God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken (Psalm Read More …
10 Months (and Counting) Without In Person Worship (#1910)
Gathering with other followers of the Way of Jesus in an indoor sacred space for a time of worship each Sunday was part of my life story from birth until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As I participated in the first few weeks of online or virtual worship, I never considered that this would become a new normal much less that it would extend into the year 2021. Six Months After six months without gathering for in person worship, I shared some reflections on my experience Read More …