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Mercy Is What We Love
It strikes me that our society is more interested in public shaming than actually changing the behavior of its people. We are more interested in taking pictures of people watering their lawns during a drought than we are in more effectively curbing the practice, or better, than transforming how Californians landscape. Of course, I’m not…
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Emergence Is Not a Fad
Using Words We have a communication problem in the church. About change, tradition, our existing culture. We struggle to understand each other when we talk about our liturgy and our patterns of worship and our expectations of leadership. We argue that we want our church to have a more engaged role in the community, but…
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One Week: Finding Jesus in our approach to Holy Week
Palm Sunday | Mark 11:1-11 Learning Holy Week I must have been 9 or 10 when I realized that the story didn’t make sense. I could follow the main elements of the story. I could make sense of the basic plot points. But there were holes. And the way we told it just confused…
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At the end of a very long week
I have decided to end the week like I begin it. Or how I hoped to begin the week. At Starbucks, drinking coffee, writing. One activity I know brings fulfillment and hope for me. Of course, this week was different. It didn’t begin with writing and planning and organizing. It began with a phone call.…
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Of darkness, confusion, and hope
Driving home, we play “I Spy” and I name something black. The sky! she says. Nope! Something else. I say, but I’m thinking “skies are blue” and I’m thinking “it is dusk, so it is more deep purple” and still the thought confuses me. Black Skies Of course, at night the sky is black. And our…
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How to Make a New Year’s Resolution Stick
Yesterday, I wrote a bummer of a piece telling you that you would most certainly fail. That great New Year’s resolution to lose weight or not eat chocolate? Sorry. You’ve already failed, you just might not know it yet. And that resolution to read everyday, that’s hanging by a thread. That was yesterday. Today I’m…
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Why Your New Year’s Resolution Is Bound to Fail
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If you are like the millions who do, you no doubt find that they are always harder than they seem. Looking back at the last few years, many of us recognize a pretty poor track record. Even the words “New Year’s resolution” conjures thoughts of failure and personal experiences…
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Ghettoed Suffering: a Reflection on World AIDS Day
I drove across town to Maple Avenue United Methodist Church. It was dark, cold; the streets were wet. I was running late, but thankfully it started late. The room was nowhere near full. But it was diverse. Wide variety in ages, including college students and some much older. There was also ethnic and gender diversity.…