Since the rest of the church is at the beach this weekend learning pilgrimage practices, I thought we could read this story of Jacob through the lens of my own pilgrimage experience. I’d seen Martin Sheen in the movie, The Way, so my friend Bev and I decided that if Sheen could walk the Camino, … read
Please pray with me… When I saw that the lectionary option this week is the story of Jesus walking on water, I had to laugh because close to 30 years ago I preached my first sermon on this text during a Youth Sunday service. I was a teenager, maybe 16 or 17. I wish I … read
A theologian Mary Pellauer once said, “If there’s anything worth calling theology, it is listening to people’s stories, listening to them and cherishing them, and asking them to become even more brightly beautiful than they already are.” (God’s Fierce Whimsy) I find it interesting that as the writer of Hebrews talks about faith, he does … read
In the summer of 2006, my wife, Karen, and I went on a pilgrimage to Scotland with a group of about ten people. For those of you new to the experience of a pilgrimage, imagine a vacation that involves an intentional focus on prayer and that includes visiting sacred historical sites where people for centuries … read
God and Laughter Genesis 18:1-15 The year before we moved to Portland, Gregg was working full time and I was doing little gigs here and there, my main work being parenting a young child. That meant that we could fully participate in the life of a congregation, one in our neighborhood and full of friends. … read