___ In the Praetorium His is the name on everyone’s lips the Galilean who talks in riddles tangled like empty nets. We know his kind, fiery, foolish enough to turn up this week of all bloody weeks. What are they saying this time in the courts about his chances? Oh, it’s not looking good. FoolishRead more
Back in 2014 I wrote and self-published a book (not as glamours as it sounds, I can assure you) called When God Was Little. About 200 hundred copies were purchased that year and all the funds collected went toward a water well project. The funds from the next year went toward the Salvation Army’s GatewayRead more
There is a balsam, or indeed a blood, Dropping from heaven, which doth both cleanse and close All sorts of wounds; of such strange force it is. Seek out this All-heal, and seek no repose, Until thou find and use it to thy good. (George Herbert, An Offering) Hanging on our hallway wall is a printRead more
…an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equallyRead more
On a face out the shade;And the tilled field frozen;From the candle’s wick made;Bright-burning, glad-chosen;Through the tree on the road;In the corners of hearts;Lightly lifting the load;Happ’ly sparking new starts. Read more
Sermon | Living Waters Church | February 10, 2019 A real shake up. That’s what we can expect if we listen and respond to the good news about Jesus. We’re drawn out of our usual surroundings and into the wild by a voice telling us something different than others tell us, or even what weRead more
Sermon | Living Waters Church | February 3, 2019 Sooner or later, like Mary, we’ll probably find ourselves asking God: “What do youthink you’re doing? Don’t you realize the trouble your causing me?” Maybe that has to do with God not checking the boxes we expected, or answering a prayer, or even, if we’re honest,Read more
Sermon | Living Waters Church | January 13, 2019 Simeon was there. There’s a lot in those few words. A phrase we might miss in the blinding light of the big moment. Because in many ways, Simeon had been there, patient, eager, committed to God and God’s purposes, for many years. And those years noRead more
O Thou, whose glorious yet contracted light, Wrapt in night’s mantle, stole into a manger; Since my dark soul and brutish is thy right, To Man of all beats be not thou a stranger. This stanza, from George Herbert’s 16th century poem Christmas, is shot through with language and images we still associate with theRead more
“The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”(Luke 2.20) Like many others our family didn’t have an expansive budget at Christmas. Whatever preexisting financial pressure there was, it didn’t dissipate in December. My parents took this in stride, however, and Christmas never felt lacking butRead more
