Recently someone on the great book of faces posted this article called “The Casserole Rules.” Written by Jill English, her entry takes notice of how churches make casseroles for days if you are sick or there’s been a death in your family. But not when a marriage falls apart. No, there’s no casserole when one…
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Calling all clergy: Don’t settle.
Recently I was telling a colleague and friend who is in the midst of job hunting for a call in the PCUSA, “Don’t settle, wait for the right call.” Easier said than done. You get out of seminary and you need a job. And for the majority of us, you need a call to get…
prayers of the people – 15 july 2018
I have never been a great prayer. I feel like I’m always forgetting something. Let’s face it: there is so much to pray for right now. From our personal lives, to our local communities, to our own government and democracy, our planet and the creatures and plants on it… I could go on and on…
The place you’re at.
Sometimes, the place you are isn’t necessarily the place you want to be. And other times, it’s exactly where you want to be. In fact, it’s the perfect fit. But this all depends on the day and time. Sometimes the place you are is exactly where you need to be. Sometimes, the place you want…
Bridge Builders, Inc.
Where do youth want to be? As youth workers, we seem to know this answer. Or, atleast we think that we do. We read studies, hear lectures, sermons, and have on-the-ground-knowledge from personal interaction with the youth we regularly work with. But do we actually know where they really want to be? As people of…
Jesus said, “feed my sheep.” Not, “make those who are poor poorer and hate your neighbors.”
A sexual assault [read: rape] victim cannot get health care treatment for said assault because it can now be considered a “preexisting condition.” But the man who raped her can now become president. ___ Erectile dysfunction is not a preexisting condition, but now, pregnancy can be deemed one. ___ “Just like Jesus said, ‘the poor…
letter: (noun) a direct or personal written or printed message addressed to a person or organization; origin: middle english, 13th century
The following letter was written about a year ago while I was surfing around on church websites trying to glean how to write some blurbs for a project I was working on. Dear Church People, I love you. I love you all, so much. I am one of you. Even though we are all different,…
I will love you.
I typically begin my blog posts with a word and definition. But it’s time for a change. Given our last presidential election, I am compelled to engage with those of you who do not agree with me, and I will love the sh*t out of you while I do it. Friends, I do not care…
expectation: (noun) a belief that something will happen or is likely to happen; first known use: 1540
“We have become those people.” This is what I said to my wife at 12:45am this morning after being woken up by our neighbors downstairs playing music. She stood there in her PJ’s, asking me if I wanted her not to go say something. I debated. I actually debated about letting her kindly ask them…
endurance: (noun) the ability to deal with pair or suffering that continues for a long time; origin: 15th century
This morning, my wife and I had a discussion about the law. This is not abnormal. We often like to joke that she deals with human’s law and I deal with God’s law. And, since we often drive to work together in the mornings, we typically talk about whatever we are working on. For her,…
dove: (noun) any bird of the family columbidae; a symbol for the holy spirit; origin: 1150-1200; middle english
The dove. This amazing bird is known by pretty much everyone. If you ask a Christian what they are, they will likely say that they are sign of peace or a sign of the Holy Spirit. But I wonder if they also know that the dove is also a bird that will fight until its…
space: (noun) the amount of area, room, surface, etc., that is available for use; origin: middle english, first known use 14th century
I got stood up this morning. Now, I got a lovely, quiet breakfast to myself with my favorite strawberry jam, but I still got stood up. It’s a strange occurrence that emotionally takes you back to high school for a minute or two. I get stood up more than most in my line of work….
thetravellingtheologian 