Fifteen years ago yesterday it was Youth Sunday at the church where I grew up, Community Presbyterian Church of San Juan Capistrano, CA. As my wife of two years sat among the congregation that had loved, challenged, and sometimes tollerated me, I preached the morning sermon to encourage the graduating high school seniors. Then in … Continue reading “BlogPost: 15th Anniversary Reflection”
Category: General
BlogPost: The Dying Daughter of Zion – Giving Birth to the New
[Author’s note: This post is a bit more “stream of consciousness.” I wrote it reflecting on Walter Brueggemann’s book, Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks, which I’m reading for a class as part of my Doctor of Ministry studies at McCormick Theological Seminary. So, as you read, be kind in your thoughts. This is … Continue reading “BlogPost: The Dying Daughter of Zion – Giving Birth to the New”
BlogPost: Writing to Release the Pressure
“Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.” ~Isaac Asimov Life happens. It’s true! Even when I think it won’t, shouldn’t, or couldn’t, it just does. When I want to press the pause button, I can’t find one. Life just keeps on happening. And, honestly, sometimes I feel like it gets in the way … Continue reading “BlogPost: Writing to Release the Pressure”
The Examen – Children’s Sabbath
St. Ignatius is known for his practice of regularly reflecting on God’s presence in the daily humdrums. He taught his students a series of regular “examens,” as they were called. He wrote out a whole program for a 30 or so day examen. For two years we’ve been practicing a modified form of examen with … Continue reading “The Examen – Children’s Sabbath”
Confessional, Constitutional, Connectional – Three “C’s” of Presbyterianism
Today I’m looking forward to a meeting with some friends and colleagues to plan a Halloween dance for the high school youth in our presbytery. It seems in the past few decades my denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), has forgotten the basis for our way of being church, the three “C’s”: Confessional (we confess our … Continue reading “Confessional, Constitutional, Connectional – Three “C’s” of Presbyterianism”