Risking frosts Stems ascend Lifting green ovules towards Heaven unfurling yellow, pink and purple prayer banners to dance in praise amid breeze and rain Who builds believing only buttercups will remain? Who erects fences knowing long after cedar posts collapse into the dust and barbed wires slowly rust that […]
Author Archives: paulrpurdue
The weight of Holy week bears down on Jesus- feet washing, bread breaking, Peter boasting, Gethsemane praying, disciples sleeping, Judas betraying, Peter denying, everyone scattering, mothers weeping, preachers lying, bishops whispering, governors conspiring, crowds mocking, thorns piercing, soldiers crucifying, sky darkening, sunshine hiding, earth quaking, love bleeding, hope dying. “Now my soul is troubled, what […]
“For God so loved the world!” What a beautiful image. Imagine, the Creator delighting in us, like a mother holding her new child. God loves us- sinners, prodigals, and misfits. “For God so loved the world that God gave..” What does Love do? Love gives. The Creator gives love, life, breath, thought, sunsets, […]
Jesus came to Nashville announcing God’s Good News: “The time is now! God’s kingdom is coming. Change your hearts and lives, and trust the Good News!” Is our world in need of Good News? Now is the time for faith, hope, and love. Now is the time to temper our speech, soften our hearts […]
About a week ago, Heather and I were talking about an upcoming preaching symposium and finding our confidence while preaching. I jumped up and pulled out a book I bought 25 years ago in college. It’s pages are yellowed and heavily highlighted. It’s spine cracked by use. It reshaped my life, electrifying my soul with […]
As we traveled to visit family over the holidays, we drove past a church camp I went to for several summers. Connie asked about the camp and as I reflected on my experiences, I realized part of my journey away from biblical literalism began as a college intern at camp. Everyone is on a journey. […]
Uncle Clellon was a bit of an oddball for example as a lifelong bachelor farmer, he ran irrigation pipes to dry fields, but never saw the need to pipe running water into the house. Sill, every Christmas Eve, the Purdues, Sanders, Simms, Scotts, Greys, Harolds, and Hendrix families gathered in a five room home. The […]
In the sixth month, God sent a named angel to unremarkable small town to speak a virgin named Mary. Mary’s family had signed the arranged marriage contract with Joseph, but the wedding was months away. Mary and Joseph may have met a few times, but only in the presence of a chaperone. God’s messenger greets […]
A deep sense that “this is not right” may be the birth of a new vision for our living. It may be that God is not silent, when the walls fall down and the pleasant places seemed ruined, but that God is longing to do a new thing in us and through us. Oh if […]
A few days before Christmas, the grandparents arrived ready for “Christmas with toddlers”. One set drove their older pickup. The truck was packed tighter than Santa’s sleigh. After our 11 pm Christ-Mass Eve Service, I walked alone down the little path from the church to our parsonage humming, “silent night, holy, all is calm, all […]
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