To paraphrase Winston Zeddemore, when someone asks you to officiate a wedding in Hawaii, you say YES! And you bring your spouse and kids. Especially when it is for friends. So I was on a working vacation with my family last week when word came that Grandma Ruth died. The funeral service would be before we …
Advocacy at work
Well, that happened fast. I guess sometimes it all comes together. Lately I've used this space, as I often do, to write about the Christian duty to engage in justice advocacy to alleviate hunger, poverty and oppression. Then Bread for the World picked up a little of what I wrote and asked if they could …
Wanna feed 2 million people – or even 9 million – in less than 10 minutes?
If so, all you have to do is read a little and add your name to a letter. Sometimes advocacy is just that simple. Illinois residents (along with those of Alaska, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia) have an opportunity - I would even say a duty - to influence legislation …
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A true must-read
Given that: 1. As followers of God in the Way of Jesus, my congregation (Woodridge United Methodist Church) strives to love God and love our neighbors. Which, as Jesus put it, means everybody. 2. A vital piece of loving our neighbors - and of UMC membership vows - is striving to fight evil, injustice, and …
#BringBackOurGirls
Human trafficking. Dehumanization and abuse of women and girls. Intertwined roots in execrable theology. That, dear reader, is a hat trick of blog post subjects for me if ever there was one. I determined I would write a post on the 270 kidnapped Nigerian school girls and the global response, hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. I had the …
Death, where is thy sting? Here.
Note: I wrote this for my church blog, but thought it might resonate outside of those circles as well. Mom. Dad. Grandma. Poppa. Sister. Brother. Wife. Husband. Aunt. Uncle. Daughter. Son. Friend. These are some of the names given those who died recently. It has been a difficult week in the life of our church …
Prayers for #EarthDay
Yes, I know Earth Day was a couple days ago. If it helps, think of these as prayers for Earth Week instead. However, given that the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is already at 400 parts per million - and given that the maximum safe level of carbon dioxide parts per million is just 350 …
‘Final Words’ chapter 5
"I thirst." My Thursday group really resonated with this chapter, with those simple words from Jesus. To them (and, largely, to me as well), the group found "I thirst" a good follow up to last week/chapter's "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". That is, for our group Jesus expressing thirst expressed his …
‘Final Words’ Chapter 4
"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" The most important words ever spoken. These words of Jesus from the cross are found in both the gospel of Mark and the gospel of Matthew; and in turn are originally from Psalm 22. And at least from a Christian's perspective of the atonement, they are the …
Lenten Book Study, ‘Final Words from the Cross’
Been way too long since I posted here. Of late, my blogging has been focused on stuff for my congregation, so I haven't cross-posted. But this week I changed my mind. Maybe my reflections from our Lenten book study on Adam Hamilton's Final Words from the Cross will interest a wider audience? I have no idea; guess …
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All That I Can't Leave Unsaid 