(I posted this about five years ago, but some recent time spent in a hospital waiting room caused me to revisit) Some of you may not yet have had to spend several days in a row in a hospital or ICU waiting room praying and waiting and hoping that everything turns out alright for the person you love who has ended up in a hospital bed. I probably don't need to ...
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If you've followed me for anytime at all, you know that I believe that fear is the antithesis of the Gospel. We are called over and over again to Be Not Afraid throughout the Old and New Testatments. But of course, sometimes the fear gets us. I imagine most of you have heard about the killing of Jordan Neely on the NYC subway, and the subsequent arrest of former marine ...
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There are far too many Pinterest and Instagram stories out there from people who get up at five in the morning, fix themselves a cup of coffee or a very specific kind of tea and then spend an hour with their Bible and notebook in prayer and study. So, that is fantastic...if it works for you. But most of us are NOT going to be able to pull that off in ...
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The word “Maundy” is derived from Latin “mandatum,” which means “commandment.” On Maundy Thursday (when we celebrate the institution of the Lord’s Supper), not only does Jesus command us to eat the bread and drink the wine in remembrance of him, he also offers us a new commandment: “that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34, Revised Standard Version). In ...
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As humans and as Christians, we need to stand up and speak out for our trans neighbors. Please take a few minutes to watch this video and hear my thoughts on why it is critical that we support trans people in our families, our churches and our communities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-muNI_OmBA How will you support the trans people in your community on March 31 and beyond?
Read MoreTherefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.1 Thessalonians 5:11 Find out why I think encouraging others is the easiest best way we can affect positive change in our world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ricP9DIM8hE Wanna join me for the Eastertide encouragement challenge? Opt in and download the Intentional Encourager 2.0. Be on the lookout for weekly emails beginning on Palm Sundays and a link to join the private Encourager ...
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Full disclosure: you may not be the reason, either. There are many, many reasons church attendance is down--changing demographics, work schedules, busy lives, youth soccer/hockey/volleyball--the list is long. You could be doing all the "right" things and still not see your congregation growing in number. However, there is one sure-fire way to make sure a church won't grow: if the congregation is more concerned about meeting their own ...
Read MoreOn International Women's Day, let's celebrate little known women of the Bible. For centuries, people have abused the Bible in order to oppress and quash the rights of women. They've done their best to diminish and even obscure the powerful roles women played in our scriptures. Who knows how many stories were simply excluded from the canon by the men who curated it? Here are a few stories of women ...
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Maybe it's not about what you give up or take on, but about who you want to become. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0-jnvVbFNw&t=16s You've got some time to think about what you'd like to do for Lent, so don't just think about the what, think about the why. And consider joining me for A Gentle Lent. A Gentle Lent
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Hey friends, I spent last week with a bunch of people engaged in Christian camping ministry. If you know me, you know that I LOVE camp. We had one session where we broke up into small groups and talked about ways we experience God's abiding presence in our lives. I got some really good feedback on the exercise, so I thought I'd share it with you. Disclaimer: time in nature is ...
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Make your holiday a happy one. Based on my experience and extensive research, here are the top 10 questions to avoid this Thanksgiving Day. So, who did you vote for? When are you two getting married?When are you gonna have a kid/another kid or when are you gonna stop having kids? (basically stay away from all talk of people's sex lives and reproductive choices)Do you have a job yet?How can you ...
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