- Page 14 of 15 -

October 4, 2017

The Sacrament of the Present Moment

Envision God taking you by hand into a workshop. The point of being guided into a workshop is so you may do some kind of work. The workshop itself reveals what it is you must doo. If it’s a woodworker’s shop with piles of dried boards, then woodworking is your calling. If you find yourself in a metal shop, then some kind of metal work. The workshop might be a kitchen. The point is that wherever God has guided you he has also provided all the tools and materials and instruction and inspiration for the work he wishes you to do with your life.

October 1, 2017

Thoughts on the Movie, “Life is Beautiful”

I finally got around to viewing the 1997 Cannes Grand Prix and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film , “Life is Beautiful.” The movie begins lightly with the antics of the leading male, Guido Orefice, played by Roberto Benigni. Guido is a young Jewish shop-keeper in a picturesque Italian town. Guido, through fun trickery, wins the attention and love of …

September 26, 2017

Take-a-Knee in the Roman Empire

I’ll begin with full disclosure: I admire Colin Kaepernick’s courageous willingness to place his reputation and athletic career in jeopardy in order to carry out his Take-a-Knee protest during the playing of the national anthem at the beginning of NFL football games. Now, I’m no spectator sports fan. Football aficionados may grieve when the focus …

September 24, 2017

Taking a Knee and the Importance of Being Yourself

NFL Quarterback, Colin Kaepernick’s provocative gesture of kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem has–thanks to President Trump’s tweeted scorn of the behavior–blown up into a nationwide conversation this weekend. Kneeling, fist raising, sitting, arm-linking have politicized America’s most popular and increasingly controversial game. Kaepernick explained his “take a knee” gesture back in 2016: …

September 21, 2017

Providence: What’s Happening to the Future in America?

Why Providence? Why bother to explore and get clear about this particular stately, old-fashioned idea? Admittedly, I’m going on a hunch in this whole exploration. My hunch is that people, including me, have doubts about the course of that history is taking. Western society is skeptical about the world’s security and destiny. That doubt …

September 19, 2017

How Wonderful Does Christ Become?

It was in reading C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia that this idea crystallized in my imagination. The idea is simply this. Jesus Christ becomes more and more significant as we come to know him better and better. In the children’s adventure stories in the Chronicles of Narnia, the “Christ-figure” is represented by a grand …

September 10, 2017

What I’m Praying for During This Hurricane

I’m grateful for the many friends, including even the most casual acquaintances, who have offered their social media prayers and encouragement as Hurricane Irma bears down on Florida, my home state. Because the anticipation of this storm hitting has now spanned a week, I’ve had time to think about where this experience fits into my …

August 30, 2017

The Nashville Statement on Sexuality

The Nashville Statement on “biblical sexuality” was released a couple of days ago. I’ve read and re-read the statement, which is printed below. It’s short, about 1200 words. Nevertheless, it gets tedious about half-way through. Nashville is tiresome because it’s a screed against homosexuality and trans-gendered people. The Statement’s preamble is its most promising section. …

August 29, 2017

God’s Truth is Always Greater than the Church’s Message

I began my 40 year, every-Sunday preaching life in 1977 in the tiny hamlet of Millerstown, Pennsylvania. I served two churches simultaneously. I had written three sermons in seminary. So I pretty much had to learn on my own—far from other ministers, books, and certainly seminary. Lent was particularly difficult. In addition to the regular …