This past Sunday I preached on the purpose of pain. Let’s continue to explore this topic. Pain and suffering are universal. What I mean by this is that every human on earth will go through painful experiences. Every person who has ever lived has gone through periods of suffering. The particular type of pain I experience...
What do you do when you’re snowed into your house? You build a snow fort, of course. My daughters and I spent yesterday morning building a snow fort in the back yard. The goal, as Zoe said it, was to build it large enough so the dog couldn’t get in. Our labradoodle, Annie, has a...
This Sunday we will ordain and install Unity’s new class of elders. This is an exciting time in the church! Elders are men and women who have responded to God’s call to serve Unity for a three year term. Elders have many responsibilities, but here are two of the main ones: 1. Elders serve on...
What is the gift of Christmas? I don’t meant the gifts you will receive at Christmas, or even the gifts you will give at Christmas. The gift of Christmas is not the presents under the tree; it is not something we wrap at all. “God never gives someone a gift they are not capable of...
“Remembrance, like a candle, burns brightest at Christmastime.” — Charles Dickens Christmas is a time of remembrance. Memories of past Christmases come to my mind frequently as the season progresses. I remember the first Christmas with my daughter Zoe nine years ago. She was only 3 weeks old. She received so many presents from eager...
I’ve completed my first semester of the doctorate program at Union Presbyterian Seminary. Thank you for your support and encouragement. I want to give you a brief recap of what I’ve been studying. I completed two courses— The World In And Around The Church and Ecclesiology in World Christian Perspective. Both courses focused heavily on studying...
The session met last night and updated Unity’s COVID protocols. 1. Masks are now optional on campus. Each individual can make the decision whether to wear a mask while at church. We have created one section of the sanctuary that will be “masks required.” When you walk in, the right side of the sanctuary will be...
My wardrobe changes this time of year. As the mornings get cooler, I find myself layering up in pants and a sweatshirt to walk the dog. I wore my heavy coat for this first time this morning as I went to work. I even had to put on gloves for one of my runs last...
What is faith? If you were forced to write down the definition of faith on a piece of paper, what would you write? Let’s complicate this a bit further… Is faith a verb? Sometimes. Faith in God encourages me to live a certain way and to adopt certain behaviors. I seek to live faithfully. Is...
I have been reading a book this week by German theologian Jurgen Moltmann. The book is titled Theology of Hope. This is considered one of the great works about why Christians are people of hope and what that hope is grounded upon. I’d like to share with you one quote from the book: “Totally without...
