About 2 months ago, I found myself sitting in a community center in a meeting room, at a table with about 10 other people, talking about my faith story and some of my experiences. As I came to a particular part of my story, I found my throat closing up, my eyes becoming blurred, and…
suffering: (noun) pain that is caused by injury, illness, loss, etc. : physical, mental, or emotional pain: origin: 14th century
This last Sunday, I was given the honor of preaching for Fourth Presbyterian’s Jazz Service. Here’ a copy of the sermon I gave. Hint: this is my attempt to become more comfortable with putting this stuff out there and being unapologetic about it. If you’re gonna walk a dog, do it with pride. Today’s Old…
urban: (adjective) of, relating to, designating a city or town; living in a city; origin: 1610-1620, latin
It’s lovely. Just lovely. And I would be happy to never set foot in it again. There. I said it. I hate living in Chicago. Maybe hate is too strong of a word. I seriously dislike living in Chicago. Now, I did not say I hated Chicago. I love Chicago. (Notice the emphasis with the bold…
progressive: (adjective) moving forward; happening or developing gradually over a period of time; using or interested in new modern ideas; origin: first known use of progressive: circa 1612
For the last three days I have been attending the Progressive Youth Ministry Conference held at Fourth Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago, IL. As the inaugural event there were highs and lows. First off, let me be clear, no conference is perfect. What is important about a conference is that it helps bring about change…
word: (noun) something that is said; a brief remark or conversation, something that a person says; origin: (before 12th century) middle english, from old english
Today is a word dump day. “What’s a word dump?” you ask. A word dump is where you just let it all out, whatever it is. It’s a practice that my 12th grade english teach taught us to get us to write or a way to break through our writer’s block. I debated just doing…
limbo: (noun) a place or state of restraint or confinement; a place or state of neglect or oblivion; an intermediate or transitional place or state; a state of uncertainty; origin: 14th century; middle english, derived from medieval latin
Yesterday an article came out by Carol Howard Merritt on the Christian Century website and made its way around the Facebook inter webs. Last week, I discovered I failed another Bible Trivia Content Exam. What happened you ask? Oh, I blanked. I blanked big time. I mean, I was incapable of telling the story of…
Going Where Locals Can’t Go
January 13, 2014 – Jerusalem Sunday morning began as any other Sunday morning would begin for many Christians. A wake up call from the alarm, breakfast and coffee or tea, and a dash to put on your finest clothing before going to church. The difference here was that we were making a few stops before…
Dying Dead Sea
This post was originally begun on January 12, while we were still in Jerusalem, just outside of the Old City. After working on a draft I decided against publishing any longer until I had returned to the States. You’ll find out why later. I have left part of it in its original format and added…
Outside the Old City Walls
In case you were wondering, here I am, in Jerusalem. Just steps outside of the Old City walls at the Damascus gate. I’m here with a group of McCormick students for a January-term travel seminar led by a couple of my Old Testament and Hebrew instructors, Ted and Paula. We are meant to keep a…
ugliness: (adjective) frightful, dire; likely to cause inconvenience or discomfort; morally offensive or objectionable; origin: 13th century; middle english
The last time I went public with my thoughts (I’m not counting Facebook or Twitter), was back in April. I had some hard decisions to make. After that last post I ended up making one of the hardest decisions I ever had to. I decided to leave the job I was working at and move…
decision: (noun) the act of or need for making up one’s mind; resolution; origin: 1425-75; late middle english
My job requires me to make a lot of decisions. A lot. These decisions range from what color to order of bandannas and shirts for the camp store, from who to hire for the summer, all the way from how to start dispersing with the camp things like canoes, kitchen equipment, etc. I make a…
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