posted on 06/08/08 at 11:21 PM I never thought I would be so happy to watch someone eat tapioca. I was with Dale, who for the
As a pastor and now as a counselor, I have been troubled with the difficulty Christians seem to have with wounded people. I have brought people to church and seen them welcomed warmly, only to have them come back later feeling utterly rejected. It was as though, when the newcomer began to share his or her pain, the church seemed to back off in retreat. At the same time, the strong or relatively whole people seem to have little or no trouble integrating. Why is that? …
For some time now we have been publishing references to the emergent church—also called the emerging church. I’ve been wondering what it was and am still not sure anyone knows. Yet the language is creeping into our lexicon, and so maybe it would be good to describe why—and from whence it comes …
In my spirituality, I know there is absolutely no reason to believe prayer isn’t heard. Yet in our humanity there are private, humbling moments when we wonder. I found comfort in understanding that prayer, like life—even at its simplest—is still so intricate and interrelated …
We’re wounded even before we take our first breath. That’s because we have parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins and more. We’re born into and shaped by their wounds. Then many of us have children. And pass the wounds forward …
Interest in charitable giving may have increased over the last decade, but so has the influence of consumerism. Corporations have recognized both trends and created avenues for people to give while getting …
At my wife’s urging, I joined a choral ensemble. I did not join because I have any singing talent—quite the opposite. I joined because I thought I might be able to improve myself without being too big of an anchor tied around the necks of the other choir members. Or at least my wife thought so. I was not convinced …
When people talk about ecumenism, it usually refers to something church leaders do. But our congregation’s summer morning of ecumenism had more to do with the ordinary—the everyday—not an annual gathering. It was, literally, about grass and about roots …
