How’s your season of the Gospel called Lent coming along so far? One week after accepting The Sign of The Cross, what difference did it make? Are you giving something up for Lent? That last question…wow…Richard Rohr writes in his book Simplicity, “Jesus went into the wilderness and made himself empty. …Of course, emptiness in…

“It is in pardoning that we are pardoned” Not a lot of wiggle room here. Not much room for negotiation in this line from another prayer: “Forgive us, as we forgive others.” Time to stall, raise your hand, ask a question.  “How many times do I need to do this whole forgiveness thing?” And the answer comes unexpectedly,…

At my mother’s nursing home today, we opened the last box of her Christmas Gift Chocolates. Inside, on top of the  liner paper was a note from the candymaker entitled “100% Real Chocolate.”  It read, “We use only 100% real chocolate.  It says it right there in our ingredients.   Other manufacturers can’t say this.…

“It is in giving that we receive” Last time we were together here, I mentioned a song.  Its second verse: “Through all our living, we our fruits must give. Good works of service are for offering. When we are giving, or when receiving, we belong to God, we belong to God.” Sometimes we are at…

Best sight of the day: seeing so many people with the Cross on their foreheads, singing together. Good reminder that as the song said, “We belong to God.” Even children who can’t yet read were singing those easy, recurrent words. “We belong to God.’ Let’s remember that this Lent. I’ll remind you, you remind me.…

“Wipe the mud off!  You’ll see the mark!” They wiped.  They saw.  And they knew the true identity of the animal. That scene from one of this year’s Oscar-nominated films is about as timely as possible today. On this Ash Wednesday, Christians world-wide will accept ashes in the form of the cross on our foreheads.…

Our son Joseph picked the film, took me to his favorite theater and paid for our tickets. We  elbowed each other at key scenes and lines. We  laughed and wanted to cheer. Two sermon illustrations presented themselves onscreen; maybe four. We even apparently had popcorn salt in our eyes because we kept wiping them.  But…

I am worn out. Been listening and talking all day. It was my honor to spend the day interviewing and evaluating pastors with our District Committee on Ministry. It got pretty intense.  I loved every minute of it. We have good people doing great things.  I just met a bunch of ’em. Good section in…

 ‘The Lord your God will take great delight in you, and in his love will rejoice over you with singing.” —Zephaniah 3:17 Re-read that a couple of times. Go ahead, seriously: re-read that excerpt from that verse a couple of times. It’s worth it. And obviously God thinks you are, too. Worth delighting in, and singing…

“Grant that I may not so much seek to be loved, as to love.” It’s been my joy to preside at more weddings than I’ll admit.  Over more years than I’ll admit. But there’s one thing I will admit: it’s hard to top one particular short paragraph for a wedding homily text. “Love is patient.…