Last weekend, I joined our confirmation retreat along with 14 seventh and eighth graders. Our teens asked great questions like “why is our denomination splitting up?” I felt drawn to the whiteboard and with help from Faith Friend Dr. Michael Stephens I drew a timeline of church splits: Christianity from Judaism 45AD, Roman Catholic […]
Tag Archives: lament
Prayer is the oldest and most universal religious practice. People all over the world pray in what the Apostle Paul calls “the rich variety of God’s wisdom” and adds that “Every ethnic group in heaven or on earth is recognized by God.” (Eph 3) The Bible assumes prayer as a practice its readers understood, and […]
Amid a national disaster, Jeremiah writes to those unsettled by loss and transition, as Jerusalem was utterly destroyed: “The Lord, our God, proclaims to all those living in exile: Build houses and settle down. Cultivate new gardens and eat the produce. Get married. Have children and look forward to grandchildren. Don’t dwindle away! Promote the […]
During my Monday morning devotional time: El Paso, Dayton, Charlestown, Boston, Antioch kept clouding my prayers. Most Mondays, I dive into the week’s Scriptures. This Monday, nothing seemed to happen. The news haunted my holy space. After conversation with Kate, Heather, Darren and Gayle I knew this lament was not just my own. Lament […]
With more luck than planning, we visited Gettysburg on the 150th anniversary of the battle, arriving early enough to park in the closest parking lot. The next day, we celebrated the Fourth of July in Philadelphia, toured Constitution Hall, and saw the Liberty Bell through the glass wall. We then drove to New York City, […]
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