Today is World Communion Sunday. Over the years, taking Communion / Lord's Supper / Eucharist on this day has been especially meaningful to me. Rather than seek to say something novel or new, I have collected some wisdom from posts I have written over the years. 2010: I wrote a series of blog posts sharing one big lesson I learned from each of the many denominations that have played a major role in my faith journey. In my post on the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), I Read More …
Discipleship
Connecting with Historic Congregations (#1704)
A year ago I was in Connecticut preaching and leading a Day of Discovery for leaders of Westchester Congregational Church (founded in 1728) . Yesterday I was in Grand Prairie, Texas preaching at West Fork Presbyterian (PCUSA) Church (founded in 1870). Fifteen years ago I was preaching or assisting in leading worship at Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which claims to be the oldest continually meeting Protestant congregation in Dallas, Texas (founded in Read More …
An Update on My 2017 Religious Resolutions (#1699)
In November of 2016, I established 5 religious goals for the 2017 church year (Advent 2016 until the arrival of Advent 2017). Four months later I shared my progress. With Advent now just 14 weeks away, I offer a final check-in. Original Goals During this church year I resolve to Join (and be actively involved in) a local community of faith Labor to make real on earth God’s realm of justice and peace Write about matters of faith that matter (primarily here on this blog) Read More …
Churches Should Stop Saying ______ (#1697)
A few days ago a colleague shared an article with me titled "Ten Things Churches Should Stop Saying." Written by Paul Miller - Support Minister for Waterloo Presbytery of the United Church of Canada - the piece lists 10 problematic statements that are frequently used in church life followed by a positive response to each. Overcoming this often pervasive form of negativity is key to building a healthy congregational culture. Toward that end, I share two items from Miller's list before Read More …
The Hardest Part of Being a Christian (#1696)
Being a student is often a way of life. At times, it can be hard work. Some courses are especially challenging. A few days ago I asked my Facebook friends to share the most challenging and/or difficult course they had ever taken. In less than 24 hours, 60 people had named a course. The most popular challenging courses were those in science, mathematics, and languages. Science - 12 responses (top course: chemistry) Mathematics - 18 responses (top course: statistics) Read More …
Be Who You Are (#1695)
Who are you? Sibling Parent Spouse Neighbor Friend How do you introduce yourself to others when you have only a brief time to do so? Do you begin with one or more of the above or jump right to sharing your name and your primary professional role? Human Being Today, many people spend so much of their time working in a role that they forget they are separate from that role and also more than that role. Christian filmmaker Phil Cooke recently warned his readers not to find Read More …
My Milestone Birthday Experience (#1690)
Age is just a number Another year old, another year wiser You don't look your age Celebrating a Milestone Birthday The three expressions above were all shared with me earlier this month on the occasion of me letting the world know I was celebrating a milestone birthday. Upon hearing the final remark I wondered if the person imagined I looked much older or much younger than my age (if she was even aware of the age I had achieved). According to popular wisdom I have not yet reached Read More …
Less & Less of the Old Testament? (#1686)
Earlier this month Yonat Shimron's Religion News Service article "Is the Old Testament Dying?" captured my attention. Put differently: Is the First Testament losing importance for those who follow the Way of Jesus? Do Christians have far greater biblical literacy in the Christian Scriptures than in the Hebrew Scriptures? Less & Less? Shimron's article answers the initial and repackaged questions affirmatively based on a new book by Brent Strawn titled The Old Testament Is Dying: Read More …
Will Mainline Protestantism Disappear by 2039? (#1684)
A week rarely passes when one or more of my colleagues doesn't share with me some new bit of news about the poor health of American Christianity. Some of these pieces are based on nothing more than personal opinion or inappropriate generalizations from very small samples while others are reflections on richer data sets alongside more thoughtful reasoning. In my very informal review of the last dozen pieces of news others shared with me about the future of the American church a total Read More …
Water is Life (#1683)
I grew up taking water for granted. Wherever my little feet took me, water flowed freely whenever I turned on a faucet. It was always there when I was thirsty. It was a given for bathing and toileting. It filled pools and lakes and oceans providing endless options for summer fun. Water was everywhere. Water was always there. Water is More and Less Of course, water was, is and always will be far more and far less than my childhood memories. It is more as it signals the Read More …