Lectionary Yr C
I'm preaching from Luke 4:1-13 on this first Sunday of Lent. The story of Jesus in the wilderness packs lots of significance and symbol for us to reflect upon during these next weeks leading to Easter. I trust that you will have a wonderful Sunday worship experience
Culture
Rush Limbaugh continues to hemorrhage sponsors and at least two radio stations as the controversy over his personal attack on Sandra Fluke continues. Whether you like Rush Limbaugh or not -- and frankly I don’t – this is an interesting case study in offense and apology. When Limbaugh’s apology
Cultural Competency
I've been busy writing my Fuller DMin dissertation on the church as a reconciling community. Two things are becoming more apparent to me each day that I research and write on this topic. First, the church's primary ministry is reconciliation. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2
Culture
The flood of articles predicting what’s going to happen in 2012 has begun, so I thought I would throw in a small church perspective. Interestingly, I think 2012 will bring us to a unique intersection of faith and politics. Here are the top five issues your members will be
Books
While many individuals are held in high esteem in our denomination, Southern Baptists have only one saint and her name is Lottie Moon. Of course, we don’t refer to her as “St. Lottie,” but the legend that has arisen around her life story qualifies Lottie Moon for the highest
ethics
The strange case of Warren Jeffs, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' leader, ended today in Jeffs's conviction for child rape. We wonder how it is possible in the 21st century for hundreds of men and women to be deluded by Jeffs' bizarre,
Culture
Normally, I don't write about politics because it's a sure way to alienate at least half of your readers. But I just read Wendell Griffen's article titled, Obama Protects the Powerful Over the Poor. Griffen contends that President Obama needs a prophetic voice in
Culture
MSNBC reports this morning that "For the first time, minorities make up a majority of babies in the U.S., part of a sweeping race change and a growing age divide between mostly white, older Americans and predominantly minority youths that could reshape government policies." But not only
Culture
Recently I cancelled my Linked-In and Plaxo accounts. I had previously cancelled my Twitter account, but now have one under @PeaceFriendsCom to promote my blog, PeaceFriends.Com. I mostly look at my own family's Facebook posting and photos, and spend almost no time posting to Facebook, except for
Culture
It is obvious that gas prices are rising quickly again. In 2007-8, I wrote several posts on the prospects of gasoline hitting $4-$5 per gallon - you can read those posts here, here, and here. We were well on the way to those numbers in the United States, and
Culture
Terry Jones has blood on his hands today. Jones is pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, where the Quran was burned after being "tried" by Jones and his church in a mock court. The Quran was found "guilty" and, after being soaked
Culture
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States today. Rep. Peter King (R-NY), chair of the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday to explore the issue of the radicalization of Muslims here in the United States. While this might appear to be a legitimate national