Did you know… the plates in the earth’s crust are always moving slowly past each other? In California, they move about two inches every year. Things are always shifting… always changing whether we realize it or not! It’s just that some shifts are so powerful (seismic) that they cause the ground beneath us to literally […]
I have a theory that children and funerals tend to keep one humble—or at least set the stage for such to take place. Raising human beings and the prospect of dying have an abrupt way of reminding us that we’re not really in control. In the case of the former, parents have the responsibility of […]
I recently read a report from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. It further confirms the new realities facing Christians, churches, and church leaders, and it’s time that we all wake up and smell the blended faith! In a nutshell, it is a “build-your-own” approach to religion—much like building-your-own ice-cream sundae. A few […]
“God formed man from the dust of the ground,” Genesis tells us. But don’t stop there! The remainder of the text speaks to the nature of humanity. “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.” (Gen. 2:7) The 40 Days of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February 14) […]
After Sandy Hook we said never again. And then we let 1,518 mass shootings happen. In December 2012, a gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 children, six adults, and himself. Since then, there have been at least 1,518 mass shootings, with at least 1,715 people killed and 6,089 wounded. Here’s a link to an article I […]
Jesus… Prince of Peace. It’s how we celebrate and remember Christ at Advent and Christmastime. Yet throughout the year we use peace in mushy, meaningless ways. While we may pray for peace, we don’t actually envision peace in such a way that would require us to make a commitment toward justice and equality in our […]
The Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why has been getting a lot of attention lately. I’m watching it because I know a lot of teens are watching it. The basis of the show is Hannah, a teenage girl commits suicide and sends tapes to other students explaining why she did it and their role in causing […]
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Not many Baptists “do” Lent. We have been called “liturgically challenged” by some—although more of us are beginning to embrace the richness of all the seasons of the Church Year. “Free church tradition” congregations have historically tended to leave the Season of Lent to the Catholics who want to practice a ritual of self-denial before […]
In 2013 we started Warm the World. It is our signature community missions event of the year. We spend all year collecting new and gently used coats, scarves, gloves, hats, and blankets. All age groups in our church are involved in making this event a success. Our children decorate welcome signs and donation boxes. Our […]
