The violence of the past weeks in Gilroy, El Paso, Dayton, and other places in the world, brought to mind the horrors of September 11, 2001. I recall that morning vividly. It was a Tuesday, and we were scheduled to host our circuit pastors’ meeting at our congregation. We...
Spirituality
Devotions, sermons, and essays on matters of faith.
A Deep Wound
Early Sunday morning, after my morning prayers, I always look at the intercessions of the church for the divine service for that day to add any last minute petitions. As I was doing so yesterday, I saw a news notification for yet another mass shooting, this time in Dayton,...
From Convention to Conference
It’s good to be home again. After a week of rain, humidity, and heat in Tampa, FL at the synodical convention, it’s good to be home. I’ll be home just long enough to wash my clothes, prepare a sermon, and head down to Irvine for the last of the...
Adoramus Te, Domine
Something amazing is happening at Holy Trinity. A random, ragtag bunch of kids from the neighborhood – our summer camp and preschool – have become a little worshipping community.
The Trimesters of Life – Part 3: Wisdom
Surviving the trials and tribulations of the second trimester, we blow out the sixty candles on our birthday cake, endure the endless “old guy” jokes, dodge the AARP solicitations, and enter the third trimester of life – the season of wisdom. Sixty is the biblical age of wisdom, the...
The Trimesters of Life – Part 2: Experience
The second trimester, from age thirty to sixty, is the season of experience. This is when we log our “10,000 hours” and achieve some measure of competency at life. Most of us make journeyman; a few become masters. Experience happens one hour at a time. We make mistakes, sometimes big...
The Trimesters of Life – Part 1: Knowledge
I’m beginning to think of life in terms of trimesters. The biblical age for a full and complete life is seventy years, says the psalmist, eighty if we have the strength (Psalm 90:10). Thanks to modern medicine, ninety isn’t an unreasonable expectation, barring a heart attack, stroke, cancer, or...
Stewardship of Symbol
I already knew the outcome, thanks to a passing glance at Facebook, but I watched the women’s World Cup final on DVR delay from beginning to end anyway. It was a great game, well played and exciting. Soccer is not my first choice for sports, but I’ve grown to...
Christ at the Beach
I was visiting a young family who lived two short blocks from the ocean. “You should go take a walk on the beach,” the wife suggested as I was leaving. I was pressed for time and rush hour was fast approaching, but it was a beautiful day, and I...
Anger
The driver of the car in front of me was attempting an impossible – and quite illegal – left turn. In the opposite lane, another driver was attempting an equally impossible- and just as illegal – U-turn. Gridlock ensued. I sat and watched the melodrama unfold in front of...