Month: March 2017
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Getting Unstuck
John 5:8. “Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’” I sometimes need to get up and get going. At times, I have put my life on hold. I’ve pushed the pause button. I’ve filed my life in a folder labeled “Action Pending.” These moments mostly happen when I’m waiting for something… Read more
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Prayer Begins When the Words End
Psalm 62:1. “For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation.” One Sunday, years ago, I knelt to pray before the liturgy began, as was my usual practice. I always had something to tell or ask God. This day, however, was different. I had no words. It wasn’t that I had… Read more
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Secondhand Faith or Firsthand Experience?
John 4:42. “[The Samaritans] said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.’” There’s a difference between listening to someone describe a sunset and seeing the colors for yourself, between… Read more
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In the Nighttime of Life – A Sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 and John 3:1-17
There comes a time in each of our lives when understanding and knowing give way to the darkness of not knowing and not understanding. The journey of faith, it seems, is a journey through the darkness. Maybe we all come “to Jesus by night.” Read more
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Leaving It All Behind
Every journey whether physical, emotional, or spiritual begins with leaving something behind. Maybe the reason we feel like we never get anywhere new in life is because we are unwilling to leave anything, much less everything, behind. Read more
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Displaying the Ten Commandments
Deuteronomy 11:18. “You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead.” I’m not interested in joining the debates on the public display of the Ten Commandments, prayer in public schools, or “keeping… Read more
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When A Loved One Dies – A Funeral Sermon on John 14:1-6
I need you to trust me and work with me on what I am going to say next. It won’t seem true but it is. Brian’s love, his life, and his presence are as real today as before he died. I know it doesn’t look like that and it sure doesn’t feel like that. I… Read more
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A Positive Decrease
John 3:29b-30. “For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” I wonder what John the Baptist’s disciples are thinking when they hear him talk about becoming less. Their numbers are decreasing, and Jesus’ group of disciples are increasing. I can imagine them thinking, “And what are you going… Read more
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Resting as a Spiritual Practice
Hebrews 4:9-10. “So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.” I have come to the conclusion that I don’t rest well. I occasionally take breaks during the day, and I sleep well at night, but… Read more
Interrupting the Silence 