Sep 21, 2020 | Hope, Practices
“Just say the first thing that comes to mind,” say the counselor, the chaplain, professionals of all kinds. Urging people to let go of inhibitions, they literally urge words out of us without judgment. With support and encouragement, we ask each other to just blurt it...
Sep 4, 2020 | Mission, Practices
There once was a nursing home in a small town. You know how small towns are. Everybody knows everybody, everybody knows who’s in charge, so nothing ever changes, for so long that people stop trying. You know how nursing homes are for nursing-home workers. Low pay,...
Sep 1, 2020 | Grace, Practices
You may have heard of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). If not, here’s a quick tutorial. Jesus is speaking to a crowd sitting on a hillside. His iconic words there are some of the most beloved in the Bible. He instructs them with words of wisdom on how to live....
Aug 25, 2020 | Grace, Practices
Which Comes First? Grace, Mission, Hope, or Choice? You’ve heard the old quandary question, which came first, the chicken or the egg? I haven’t answered that one yet, either. So which comes first, Grace, Mission, Hope or Choice? Which one is most important? Which can...
Aug 24, 2020 | Mission, Practices
What do you think of when hear “bearing the cross”? You may think of wearing, not bearing, a cross. Like little gold crosses: pretty, inoffensive jewelry. You may think of bigger gold crosses on necklaces, proudly, defiantly worn against Christian persecution in...
Aug 19, 2020 | Choice, Practices
I don’t remember when we first sang it. I don’t know when we decided to make it our weekly theme song. (It’s been years.) I’m told we don’t play it like the recordings, or like other churches sing it. I haven’t bothered to check. I can never remember who wrote it, and...
