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Time Out – Space for Empathy
“Really she wants us to try doing a time out? Hadley is barely a year old!” I found myself saying these words to my spouse, Greg, as we got into the car after Hadley’s last doctor’s appointment. “Just for one minute, especially if she’s not listening, doing something unsafe or mean.” Greg assures me. “You…
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Come to the Garden to Pray
I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses, And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known. ~In the…
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God Am I Hungry – Revisited
I have a hard time believing that it was five years ago, but five years ago I wrote a blog post titled “Holy Communion – God Am I Hungry”. And it was one of my favorite pieces of writing. That blog is no longer public, but over the last few weeks as we have been…
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Yes! – Vacation Bible School Memories
“God is with us!” “Yes he is!” “God is faithful!” “Yes he is!” “God gives hope!” “Yes he does!” “Jesus is our Savior!” “Yes he is!” This has been the refrain of our Vacation Bible School week – as our kiddos cheerily shouted back to us each day, we were all reminded that God promises…
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Dancing Joy – Praising God through Dance
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever. ~Psalm 30:11-12 Just a few days ago we finished our Vacation Bible School with our VBS Themed Sunday worship. All week…
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Organized Chaos – Youth Ministry
Nora Ephron: You wrote on the back of one album, “I accept chaos but does chaos accept me.” Bob Dylan: Chaos is a friend of mine. It’s like I accept him, does he accept me. I have “Chaos is a friend of mine” tattooed around my left ankle. I have loved Bob Dylan’s music since I was…
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Reading is Fundamental – Literature, Learning, & Faith
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. Daniel 1:17a For the Hebrew hero Daniel and his friends in the book of Daniel, reading, literature, and learning. The writer of the book of Daniel reminds us that it’s God who gives this knowledge, this understanding, this…
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Spirit-Filled – Festival of Homiletics 2018: Part 7
Start at part 1 of this series on experiences from the Festival of Homiletics 2018 here! I did not expect this week. I had forgotten what an intensive like this could be like. It brought me back to those Spirit-filled intensives at seminary. Filled with colleagues, with kindred spirits, with inspiration and wisdom, and with a…
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Silence and Song – Festival of Homiletics 2018: Part 6
Start at part 1 of this series on experiences from the Festival of Homiletics 2018 here! When the second to last day of the Festival began with just the sermon of comfort I needed from Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Rev. Mariann Budde. Followed by a second worship with an incredibly moving sermon by Anthony Bailey around…
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God’s Faithfulness & the Faithful – Festival of Homiletics 2018: Part 5
Start at part 1 of this series on experiences from the Festival of Homiletics 2018 here! I have nearly 30 pages of bullet points written from those five days. And there is one word that comes up on nearly every single page. The theme for the week as I mentioned before was “Preaching and Politics”, but…