Several years ago I participated in a ministers’ study group. We met once a month to hear one another’s sermons. We scheduled our presentations a month ahead of the church’s calendar. That meant November was the month to hear sermons on Advent and Christmas. I remember one particularly grey, bleak November afternoon Read More...
Last December I mentioned in a sermon that I was hoping for a White Christmas. I had never experienced one before. Gary Lezak, my favorite TV meteorologist, had been hinting that the possibility of significant snow on Christmas Day was beginning to look good. On Christmas Eve I saw Gary in line Read More...
Someone asked me the other day, “What is the purpose of life?” I said, “The purpose of life is love. Period.” Being a preacher I can’t really stop at two short sentences so allow me to elaborate: Read More…
I was born in 1958, the same year that the San Francisco Giants began playing baseball in the city by the Bay. My birthplace was Los Angeles but my dad, a long time New York Giants baseball fan, never gave a single thought about pulling for the Dodgers. I cannot prove it Read More...
Sunday afternoon is usually a time for me to decompress. Julie and I like to go to lunch on The Plaza or sometimes we pick up a light lunch, grab our tennis rackets and head out to the courts for a few games. There are other times when we head straight home Read More...
This Sunday I begin a four part sermon series titled, “Imitatio Dei: Imitating the Compassion of God.” Robin Myers, in his book, Saving Jesus From The Church, negatively critiques the church saying that “we have lost the essential quality of Christianity as a way of life.” I agree. Read More...
A report came out today from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life noting that atheists and agnostics are better educated about religion than Christians (Protestant and Catholic) in America. I’d like to say I was surprised by this conclusion but I was not. I am continually amazed at the lack Read More...
When it all Looks Hopeless Get Ready for Something New Abraham is married to Sara, an old woman. They have no children. God comes into that situation and says, "Perfect. Just the way I like to work. Everything looks hopeless, therefore everything is set up for a blessing." Too often we make Read More...
"Love one another deeply from the heart."This instruction from 1 Peter is easy to understand. However, it is difficult to follow. According to Eugene Peterson, "Love one another deeply from the heart" is a way of saying love as if your life depends on it, love as though there is nothing else Read More...
If you had to identify the most difficult task you face in your everyday world what would it be? Meeting the demands of a tough and difficult job? Learning to get along with a diverse and perhaps divisive set of co-workers? Finding just the right word for an essay or a public Read More...
Paul reminds the church in Philippi, that "Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God...emptied himself, taking the form of a slave." This a reminder to all of us in the church whether we are ministers, elders, board members, council chairs, active members, first-time visitors or curious seekers that Read More...
The Bible often reminds us of our need to repent. That word gets a lot of bad press but at its core it means: turn around and move toward maturity. This may be the single most difficult thing we are invited to do in the Christian life. Perhaps even more difficult is Read More...
I picked up a book on leadership, titled Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership by Nancy Ortberg. I bought it because Nancy's husband, John, is one of my favorite authors. I'm glad I did. She links hope and leadership as two very important factors in moving any organization Read More...
I hope you are expecting a mess for Christmas. I doubt you've put that on your gift list but I am pretty sure that all of us, in one way or another, will get a mess this year. This time of year is always chaotic. The malls are crowded with shoppers. Folks Read More...
December 25, was officially sanctioned as Christmas Day by Bishop Liberius of Rome in 354 AD. However, the roots of the way we celebrate Christmas are relatively new when placed on a historical continuum. Most of what we would call traditional celebrations can be traced to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol; Clement Read More...
