Jesus and the Kavanaugh Appointment

I am inclined to believe the allegations of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez against Brett Kavanaugh. Ultimately, though, I do not know what happened between Kavanaugh and these women, so I can’t speak about him or these incidents with any authority. What I do know for certain is that much of the rhetoric…

Call to Worship: One in Christ

This Sunday will be the first in our “Rooted and Grounded” series, exploring the biblical and theological bases for some of our dearly held values. We begin by exploring the biblical foundation for anti-racism work. Our call to worship is based on Genesis 1:27 and Galatians 3:28-29.       We are created by God…

The Opportunity for a Movement

At the Poor People’s Campaign rally in Topeka, KS, this past Monday night, Rev. William Barber told us about a map of the United States. A map that shows what states have the highest rates of poverty, poorest health care access, highest number of racist incidents, highest rates of violence against LGBTQ people, and highest…

Halloween Costume Help

I love October–cooler weather, changing leaves, apple cider . . . and, of course, Halloween. I’m actually not a big fan of the horror side of Halloween–I don’t watch scary movies or go to haunted houses–but I love the costumes. I’ve turned my kids into a princess and a dog, an alien and a cheetah,…

My Favorite Bible Story that’s not in the Bible

The following is an excerpt from a sermon I preached on Matthew 17:24-27. This was the last sermon in our summer series: Who is Jesus?. I’ve always loved this quirky story, but I only recently realized how many assumptions I have made about it. Like the assumption that Jesus actually did pay the temple tax.…

Sermon Snippet: Acts 15

Here are a few excerpts from this past Sunday’s sermon on Acts 15–a.k.a. The Jerusalem Council. My fifteen-year-old informs me that she was trying to read during the sermon, “But then you got loud.” I’m afraid you won’t be able to experience the full effect of my pulpit pounding–you’ll just have to use your imaginations.…

New Retreat: Fruit of the Spirit

I’m super excited about the new creative arts retreat! It’s a 9-week retreat in daily life, focusing on the 9 fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5. All the details are here, and the order page is up and running. I’d love for you to join us!

What not to Say: #1 & #2

As I talk with different people about how to include sexual minorities in the church, there are certain words and phrases that get repeated. And many of them are not helpful.  You probably won’t be surprised to know that I have a pretty long list of things we need to quit saying to each other.…

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…