Sermon: Broken Into Love

"Broken Into Love" (September 30, 2007) Reflections on my mission trip to Ecuador and our responsibility to care for each member of our human family. (Isaiah 65:17-25)

I’m quoted!

A friend and fellow feminist (who would never mess around with gender pronouns) quoted my funeral homily in one of her sermons. The original sermon (not the memorial service homily thing) is back in my possession as my webmaster is having technical difficulties (as in a power outage fried his computer's guts). As soon as…

The Importance of Theology

Every so often, people wonder (sometimes aloud, and sometimes even to my face) about the necessity of all those years of schooling. Did I really need to study philosophy and religion for four years in undergraduate and three years in graduate school, or was that a waste? they ask. Doesn't God just speak to the…

Long day’s journey somewhere…

So much for keeping the press out of it. And I swear, despite the fact that I was before about 300 Republicans and fundies, I never used a gender pronoun for God. Just goes to show you that people hear what they want to hear: Intrepid reporter apparently hiding under the organ gets most of…

Actual Email from a Congregant

Following Sunday's difficult service, I had this email in my inbox tonight. I will pull this out whenever I feel like I've made no difference whatsoever. The author is a young man with a wife and adopted son, who has been attending our church off an on for a few months. (names have been removed)…

The Hardest Day of My Ministry to Date

And also, probably (because of that), my best. This morning was supposed to be back-to-sunday school day, a time to focus on kids and sing "Jesus Loves Me" and talk about how Jesus wanted the little children to come to him. And we did that. For about fifteen minutes. And then the kids left the…

Sermon: God Can Take It

"God Can Take It" ( Sept 9, 2007 ) Following a murder-suicide in our community, I spoke about where God is (and isn't) in the face of tragedy. (Isaiah 43:1-7 and Romans 8:31-39)