Call to Worship for Mark 4:35-41

Here is a call to worship based on this week’s Gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary: We gather together in this place of peace . . . Why are we afraid? As storms buffet Why are we afraid? As nations rage Why are we afraid? As relationships crumble Why are we afraid? As illness…

Psalm 130: Sermon and Prayer

I saw that Psalm 130 is coming up as a lectionary reading for July 1. What a beautiful, heartbreaking piece of poetry! I just posted a sermon I wrote on Psalm 130 back in 2006. (Hard to believe I’ve been preaching that long!) And here is a simple responsive reading from Psalm 130 that can…

A Rule of Life for Activists

One of my sabbatical projects is to develop a Rule of Life—a set of principles and practices that will guide me, that will under-gird the busyness of life with a holy rhythm and a focus on Christ. You won’t be surprised to know that I’ve also been spending significant time these past weeks reading, writing,…

Creativity Day 18 (26): Random Cards

I wanted to make a “Thinking of You” card tonight, and things weren’t quite working out.  I ended up with a fun, colorful border that seemed a little too cheery for my purposes–so I made that card a “Best Wishes” for a friend who recently got engaged. By this point I was getting a little…

Reading the Bible with Your “Head in Your Ass”

Thanks to the encouragement of Rachel Held Evans, some bloggers wrote last week about gender equality–particularly within the Christian church and home. One of my favorite posts is from Tony Jones who provides a pointed interpretation of Mark 3:29: “If the Holy Spirit has given the charism of preaching or teaching or pastoral care to…