Reformed, Hopeful, Always Reforming
Our pastor had just finished up his sermon on falling – on admitting we are powerless and broken – when my son dropped his entire cup of hot chocolate on the church carpet (and my new shoes). I had just heard, written down, and whispered, “Amen” to these words: “Instead of the safest place to […]
Read More Hot Chocolate and Other MessesI saw a picture of children praying. They were kneeling down, some of them with their faces to the ground and others with their faces to the sky. The expression on each face was filled with expectation and longing. Beneath the photo, I saw a comment: “I wish religious people would stop indoctrinating their children!” […]
Read More Is Teaching Kids about Faith Indoctrination?Last week’s lectionary passage (1 Samuel 3:1-10), and this week’s Gospel reading (Mark 1:14-20) share the common theme of God unexpectedly calling people. When God called Samuel in the temple, Samuel was just a boy. I imagine he was about 8 or 9 years old. He had been dedicated to the Lord by his mother […]
Read More God’s Unexpected CallThere has been a lot of online bemoaning and complaining and analysis recently about the decline of the Christian church in the northern hemisphere. Whether it is the rise of the “Nones,” the popularity of Sports culture, the fact that people no longer feel obligated to attend worship every single week, or the changing demographic […]
Read More Burning Man – Funeral pyre for the Church?“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on […]
Read More Cherished Children and Straying SheepI didn’t grow up with a very strong view of baptism. It’s certainly fair to say it wasn’t a Reformed view of the sacrament that I was raised with. The hodgepodge faith that nurtured me included several different denominations – all with different theological emphases – but all decidedly in a revivalist tradition. Baptism was […]
Read More BaptismMy son, who is 7, is a really sensitive kid. I like that about him. I especially like how he befriends other kids with special needs. Whether it’s another kid on the basketball team who has autism or a relative with Cerebral Palsy, he seems to make special time and give special attention to those […]
Read More Rotten Kids?