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
My dear friend Alison is one of the brightest and kindest and most thoughtful people you will ever know. She and her husband, Fred, are godparents to Sarah, and every day we wish they didn’t live on the other side of the country. A few years ago we spent our vacation with them in New … read