 |
|
|
Author Archive
My family and I returned from vacation Tuesday to news reports of the devastation in Haiti. I, like all of you, listened in shock to the reports of tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands left without shelter, without…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: atheist, Cross, destruction, disciple, earthquake, food, Gospel, haiti, hymn, Jesus, Mary, miracle, mother, pat robertson, Poor, port au prince, Religion, singing, Story, water, wedding at cana
Church music was my first language. I was raised in a church tradition that did not allow musical instruments in worship. Instead, 3 times a week for 16 years I sat in a congregation that sang better than most choirs;…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: accompaniment, ancient liturgy, choirs, Christian Community, church of christ, communion, Emerging, Emerging church, harmonies, hymn, hymnal, Liturgy, lutheran, Music, Prayer, singer, singing, tradition, Worship
Again this Wednesday we joined the broader church in singing vespers, the evening prayer which always includes Mary’s song, the Magnificat. We joined Christ’s church and Christ’s mother in singing about the wondrous things God has done in blessing us…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: birth, Christ, church, Conservative, context, Empire, Evangelical, God, Good News, Gospel, humility, Hunger, Jewish, Liberal, Liberals, magnificat, Mary, middle class, mother, Music, oppressed, oppression, pastors, Poor, Poverty, Praise Music, Prayer, Preaching, Privilege, progressive, redemption, sermon, Suburban, Urban, vengeance, wealth, wealthy
How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God says Jesus. How hard it is for us who are self-reliant and smug to accept how utterly dependent we are on God. How hard it is for…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: camel, Conservative, conservative christian, conversations, disciples, Emerging, Emerging church, enemy, eternal life, Evangelical, Evangelicals, Gospel, holy spirit, Jesus, justice, Kingdom of God, lutheran, needle eye, pastors, personal salvation, possessions, Prayer, radio show, relationship, rich, sermons, social justice, surrender, Theology, wealth, Worship
In John 6:56-69, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue, and when he’s done a bunch of his followers say, “This teaching is haaaard.” And Jesus is like, “Oh, I’m sorry, does this offend you?” and several of them left right there…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: Bible, body and blood, church, clergy, Community, congregations, Conservative, Conservatives, Cross, debate, denomination, eternal life, evangelical lutheran church in america, faith, GLBT, Good News, inclusion, Jesus, jesus christ, Liberal, Liberals, liberals and conservatives, lutheran, morality, pastors, Prayer, sacrament, Scripture, social conservatism
 Last Sunday I got a call at 11 a.m. It was Rachel Pater calling from her home town church (denomination to remain unnamed). It took several minutes before she could form a proper sentence through her sobs. Finally in a…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: blood, body and blood, child of god, Christ, church, church denomination, communion, Community, denomination, denver international airport, eucharist, faith, gifts of god, God, prayer chapel, sacrament
 Urban biking is not without peril. Many of my parishioners rely almost exclusively on human-powered transportation and do so while competing for road space with motorized vehicles. As a way of acknowledging the inherent goodness of God’s gifts of life…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: bike paths, bike theft, blessing, City, Community, cycling community, Diversity, Health, human, neighbor, neighborhood, neighborhood roads, pray, Prayer, road rage, streets, two wheels, Urban
 If I had a dollar for every person who has asked me “So, what IS the emerging church?” we could meet our budget this year. Here’s my own definition, and it is just that — my definition. Not the definition. This…
Continue reading this entry »
 I don’t honestly think about “women in ministry issues” a whole lot. I guess I just go about my work not thinking of myself as a female pastor, just a pastor. I have almost never felt directly discounted for being a…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: church, churches, Conservative, denomination, female, Gender, lutheran, Ministry, ordination, ordination of women, pastor, pastors, profession, Women
I heard a report on NPR Monday that “The weather in London has now done what the German army could not; the busses have stopped.” The story continued to tell of how Londoners’ choices had been taken from them. Their freedom…
Continue reading this entry »
It’s happened twice in as many months: God showing up in an older woman. A stranger offering me her blessing. Not offering it so much as insisting on it, now that I think about it.
I had no idea what to…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: blessing, church, embrace, Gospel, Jesus, lutheran, pray, Prayer, Preaching, stranger, Women
 “The cheese is gone, someone came in and stole the cheese.”
I looked at Sheralee unsure what this sentence might actually mean as it was not the one I anticipated coming out of this woman’s mouth. Sheralee had found our church…
Continue reading this entry »
 [Continued from part 1] I began to wonder what the TBN folks would think of me, a heavily tattooed Christian progressive from a liturgical denomination. How would people in their theological camp respond to my preaching? Would they think, as…
Continue reading this entry »
To say that Christian television is “not my thing” doesn’t even get close. Christian music, Christian bookstores, Christian television, pretty much any aspect of what some call “the Christian-Industrial Complex” is “not my thing.” Meanwhile, I have a blog called…
Continue reading this entry »
 Yesterday NPR ran a story about the on going Senate investigation of the so-called Grassley Six; Crefflo and Taffi Dollar, Paula and Randy White, Eddie Long, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Joyce Meyer – prosperity gospel preachers whose 501(c)(3) status is being questioned in light of the Bentleys and Leer jets being [...]
Continue reading this entry »
While working on my upcoming book for Seabury Press – Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television, a theological and cultural commentary based on my experience watching 24 consecutive hours of the Trinity Broadcasting Network – I faced the issue of sanctification, sin, and leadership in the church. TBN preacher Paula White said the following on her show: “Sanctification is a progressive process you go from glory to glory to glory.” (And by “progressive,” I don’t [...]
Continue reading this entry »
Categories: Uncategorized
I’m always a bit anxious in new worship environments. As I settle into my plastic chair at New Beginnings Lutheran Church, I realize that now is certainly no different. At least, I think to myself, my cell phone won’t go off in worship; it was confiscated by the guard before I went through the metal detector.
New Beginnings is a congregation on the inside of the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility, and I’ve come with three others from my own community to share in their worship service. [...]
Continue reading this entry »
|
|
- MOST VIEWED
- MOST COMMENTED
- RECENTLY POSTED
|
