When I started as Faith Church’s Youth/Associate Pastor in 2002, Faith Church held weekly Sunday morning worship, Sunday evening worship and Wednesday prayer meeting. A few years later the Sunday evening service had dwindled to the point where maybe a handful of people attended, and we canceled it. At that time Wednesday prayer meeting wasContinue reading “Why I decided to cancel our church’s weekly prayer meeting, and why I told people I would not start it back up – Praying together, Preview”
Tag Archives: covid
How lament turns our weariness into hope – Advent Psalms of Lament, Part 1
This week I welcome guest blogger, Jeff Byerly. Jeff is my friend, pastoral colleague, ThD classmate, and traveling partner! He and his wife Tasha have two daughters, a son-in-law and new grandbaby! What in the world is going on these days? I remember sitting in my doctoral studies just a few years ago … priorContinue reading “How lament turns our weariness into hope – Advent Psalms of Lament, Part 1”
What God’s cleansing means and why we should all want it – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 4
During the ongoing Covid pandemic, the topic of cleansing has probably been on your mind from time to time. Do you remember early in the pandemic when it was recommended that we cleanse our groceries after we got them home? People would buy cleanser and wipe down their cereal boxes and soup cans, trying toContinue reading “What God’s cleansing means and why we should all want it – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 4”
When you cry out to God, and he doesn’t seem to answer – Ezekiel 19, Part 2
Jesus lamented. He was hurting deeply, and he expressed that hurt to God. We don’t normally think about Jesus like that, complaining to God. Yet arguably the most famous example of spoken lament comes from Psalm 22, where the psalmist, David, writes, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It’s famous because JesusContinue reading “When you cry out to God, and he doesn’t seem to answer – Ezekiel 19, Part 2”
Who is the authority in a world where we don’t know who to trust? – Ezekiel 13, Part 2
Do you watch the news or read articles online and wonder, “Who is right? Who can I trust?” If you’re like me, you’ve probably had conversations about Covid and treatment options, and your conversation partners were adamant about their views. But as you listened to them promoting one view or the other, you thought toContinue reading “Who is the authority in a world where we don’t know who to trust? – Ezekiel 13, Part 2”
Is there hope for a world on fire? – Ezekiel 11, Preview
Wildfires have been ravaging sections of the western USA. It happens every years during the hot, dry months of summer, but 2021 is particularly bad. I heard a news report that the acreage destroyed to this point in 2021 is three times that of 2020, and we thought 2020 was bad. A few weeks ago,Continue reading “Is there hope for a world on fire? – Ezekiel 11, Preview”
What my pandemic weight gain taught me about my thinking – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 3
During the Covid pandemic that reached the USA in 2020, and is still going strong now in 2021, we’ve heard talk of pandemic weight gain. People have been sitting at home a lot more, sedentary. We don’t have a scale in our house, but I was at the doctor for a checkup in December 2020Continue reading “What my pandemic weight gain taught me about my thinking – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 3”
Evangelicals need to move back from the heresies of Trumpism and White Christian Nationalism – Colossians 2:8-15, Part 3
What are contemporary heresies that might infect the church? I ask this question from time to time in my congregation, and you know the answer that people first respond with? Almost always, the first idea they bring up is about or related to homosexuality. That topic is an important one to discuss, and I haveContinue reading “Evangelicals need to move back from the heresies of Trumpism and White Christian Nationalism – Colossians 2:8-15, Part 3”
How to bring hope to struggling people around you – Colossians 1:1-8, Part 5
This week I hosted my local ministerium’s monthly meeting at Faith Church. Throughout the year, we take turns, meeting at one another’s churches, and it was my turn. So I set up small round tables in our fellowship hall, spreading them out six feet apart, placing one chair per table, trying to make sure thereContinue reading “How to bring hope to struggling people around you – Colossians 1:1-8, Part 5”
How do we evaluate the dumpster fire that was 2020? – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 2
How do we evaluate 2020? As I mentioned in the previous post, it could be very easy to just say it was so bad that there is nothing to learn. Instead, we should have the posture of learners, no matter the situation, and the next passage in Ecclesiastes is a wonderful guide to help usContinue reading “How do we evaluate the dumpster fire that was 2020? – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 2”
Engaging Scripture 