In Luke’s story about Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the temple ( Luke 2:22-40) they meet two prophets, Simeon and Anna, both well along in years. Simeon and Anna had been patiently waiting and looking for “the redemption of…
Why I’m NOT quitting Facebook in 2015: A response
Gary Taylor recently posted his full-page ad Don Draper style: this is the year he’s quitting Facebook. I want to persuade him to stay. Don’t go Gary! Gary worries that social media is putting us in a virtual world that…
When the wind blows
As a cyclist, I’m always aware of the wind. Thinking of the wind today reminded me of living in Oklahoma where a constant, ceaseless wind never leaves you alone. Like a pushy neighbor, wind squeezes uninhibited and uninvited through the…
When her good news makes you feel bad
“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” – Wayne Dyer I think comparison and competition exist partly because we believe that there is a scarcity of good things in the universe. And that belief makes…
epiphany.
If you’re a long time reader of my work* you may be aware of the fact that not only am I an exceedingly mediocre person of faith, but that I get paid for my mediocrity in the practice of said…
Christmas music continues
Yesterday morning in worship we sang three Christmas carols because, officially, the season does not end until January 6th. It is always fun (but strange) singing carols into January even though much of the decorations are gone and everyone else…
Prayers for 2015
In this first blog article of 2015, I am reflecting back on the year that has just ended and am sharing some of my prayers for the year that lies ahead. First, I pray for health and happiness for all…
Matter matters
If Christmas means anything, it is that matter — the stuff of flesh and protons and quarks and quasars — matters. It matters to God. He became it. It amazes me how often I heard language that spiritualizes Christianity more…
Important origins
Important Origins (Part 2 in the series, How God changes our neighborhood) In the first part of this series I set up this idea that the key theological concept of Christmas, the Incarnation, can be boiled down into a simple…