At Peace Mennonite, we are doing a worship series on the book of Acts. I won’t be preaching this coming Sunday. (I’ll be out of town doing a wedding at a winery near Lake of the Ozarks. This pastor thing can be rough.) I am, however, putting together the order of worship. And this is…
On August 13, a group from the Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance organization gave a presentation at our church. They talked about the terrible environmental damage done by leaking and broken tar sands pipelines and the substantial health issues faced by (inevitably poor) people who live near the pipelines and processing plants. (For a very…
Here are the prayers we will use this week for our hymn sing worship service. Blessings to you all as you plan, lead, and live worship this week–and beyond. Call to Worship (from Psalm 63:1-5) You, God, are our God, earnestly we seek you; we thirst for you, we long for you with our whole…
I still don’t have internet at home, which is hampering my blogging activity somewhat. But I’m hunkered down at work this afternoon trying to make all of the necessary cyber connections before I go back into my own beautiful and unconnected wilderness. So here are some thought’s on this coming Sunday’s Lectionary passage from Hosea.…
They are brought into the Tucson, Arizona, court room seventy at a time. Brown-skinned people, mostly men. Dusty jeans. Faded t-shirts. Calloused hands. Muscled arms. Weary faces. They are already seated when we enter. Quietly taking our seats in the back. It’s hard to see the handcuffs and chains, because they sit with their hands…
When I was in Phoenix this summer for our national Mennonite Church USA convention, I had the privilege of going on a border trip with Borderlinks. I learned about the good work of organizations like Southside Worker Center and Scholarships A-Z. I witnessed a Streamline trial and learned a little bit about the devastating effects…
This is the week we move. Just a few miles away. Onto three glorious acres. I can’t wait to meet all of the trees. To host s’more parties and craft parties and retreat times. To sit on the deck and look at the stars. The bright, twinkling, abundant stars. Of course, there is still the…
Gathering Hymns: Bwana Awabariki 32 The love of God 33 Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8, 10-11 Call to Worship: You who are poor, why have you come? To hear good news. You who are brokenhearted, why have you come? To heal our hearts. You who are captive, why have you come? To hear words of…
A couple of years ago at a conference, a mutual friend introduced me to an editor of a denominational magazine. The editor promptly said, “Oh. You’re the notorious pastor.” I did feel like a minor (very minor) celebrity at that conference in the wake of news stories about “the wedding” and “the review.” That would…
True to form, I haven’t packed yet for the national Mennonite convention in Phoenix. I have, however, been avoiding pink clothes this week to make sure they are clean when I do pack. Because once again I will be joining with other Pink Mennos to bear witness to our denomination–witness to the hurt and exclusion…
Spacious Faith 