For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. —Psalm 149.4
Fred Rogers tells this story…
A high school student wrote to ask, “What was the greatest event in American history?”
I can’t say.
However, I suspect… Read More
God has entrusted the Church to keep the soul of childhood alive… Joy is the gift of the Church, whatever joy is possible for this sad world to share. —Georges Bernanos, The Diary of a Country Priest
Our church does a thing called Together Nights. This year, we had three Together Nights spread out over the months of March, May, and June. The idea behind them is to gather our people (from multiple Sunday service times) together and expose them to something valuable that they wouldn’t normally see or hear. Our guest speakers this year included Scott “The Painter” Erickson, spoken word and hip-hop artist Propaganda, and Pastor April Carter. 
Anyway, it’s always easy for us to celebrate celebrity. We all tend to do it and it seems to come naturally to us. But having these unique, gifted, exceptional guests wasn’t my favorite thing about Together Nights.
My favorite thing was celebrating … Read More
The following is an excerpt from Sanislaus Kennedy’s book Garden The Soul:
After the long dark days of waiting, a miracle has happened. Yet again, perseverance has been rewarded; what has been hidden is now visible; our earlier attention to the invisible is being paid back with colorful surprises, one day after the other.
It’s brighter and lighter in the garden these days, with brighter mornings, longer evenings, cherry blossoms, birds in the trees, life budding into being—and it’s lighter too in our hearts.
For the gardener, practical work begins… Read More
*photo: Laurice Brooks outside his home the day before his wife Betty died
* * *
Everyone in my church is dying.
I don’t mean that as an exaggerated statement. I mean it literally. We all will die. We are all on our way. Unless Jesus returns within our lifetime, everyone is dying.
Now, admittedly, we’ve had our share of funerals and memorial services recently. And there have been a string of deaths that hit close to home—people whom I loved and they loved me back. The most recent was Betty Brooks. I’ve known Betty, her husband Laurice, and their son Danny since I was a child (Danny was one of my best friends in school).
When Betty was diagnosed with cancer, I went to visit her in the hospital. Her diagnosis was bad, as in… you don’t have much time left. She surprised me by how accepting she was of the news. She shrugged her shoulders, chuckled, and said, “I’ve lived. What are you gonna do? I’m ready.”
In the hospital, I held her hand and prayed with her. I told her that she’s beautiful and I said, “Betty, I want to be like you.” Betty laughed again and said, “Me? Why?” I said, “Because you are fearless.”
Just a few weeks later Betty was back in her own home receiving hospice care. The day before she died, I went to see her again. This time she was in and out of consciousness. She didn’t have the strength to speak. She looked at me and I’m pretty sure I saw her eyes smile. I sat next to her, holding her hand for a while. There wasn’t much to say. Eventually, we gathered around Betty and prayed. I said goodbye, knowing it was probably the last time.
Laurice walked us outside and we talked for a few more minutes. I took his picture, wanting to remember the sacredness of this day.
When Betty died, even though I knew this was coming… Read More
I’ve been reading a book called Spiritual Journeys – An Anthology of Writings by People Living and Working with Those on the Margins, compiled and edited by Stanislaus Kennedy. Some of the contributors to this book include Jean Vanier and Henri Nouwen (my favorites).
The book includes a chapter by Edward J. Farrell – who had been a priest working in a poor parish in inner-city Detroit. I wanted to share some of what he said in this book…
* * *
Immense gaps between people exist worldwide. Such disproportionate inequity touches every sphere of human existence: the economic, the educational, the psychological, and the cultural.
Life is not fair.
The experience of the poor has confronted me with my own poverty. I am poor because I never had the genius to make a significant difference for people in need. I am poor because I have done so little. I am poor because I live so comfortably. The Gospel is a constant reminder to me that I must… Read More
OK, let’s get right down to it—even in ancient cultures where women were viewed as little more than property, God chose to empower women for his work.
The following is a list of just a few of the women God chose, empowered, and used to be leaders, deacons, teachers, pastors, prophets, influencers…
Miriam
Debra
Huldah
Anna
Tabitha
Lydia
Eodia
Syntyche
Priscilla
Philip’s 4 daughters
Phoebe
Junia
Those are some pretty cool (strong, influential, leading) ladies. Serious. You should check out their stories in the Bible.
Here’s my point: God chose to use women in significant ministry leadership roles, so why would we try to exclude them?
I know, I know—Paul said some difficult things on the subject…
And I do realize some will interpret his instruction as a sweeping order for the ages. However, I think we really need to take into account the whole story, the big picture.
What is the story of Scripture?
Does God rule women out of ministry and leadership? Obviously not.
Particularly, in light of the Gospel, what difference does… Read More
There is much emphasis on notoriety and fame in our society.
Our newspapers and television keep giving us the message: What counts is to be known, praised, and admired, whether you are a writer, an actor, a musician, or a politician.
Still, real greatness is often hidden, humble, simple, and unobtrusive.
It is not easy to trust ourselves and our actions without… Read More
*photo above: Scott Erickson painting during his one-man show “We Are Not Troubled Guests” at NWLife’s Together Night
Sometimes I wonder, have we lost our imagination?
Stewart Henderson, in his poem I Believe says,
Propagandists are
excellent mimics
But don’t expect them to say anything original.
I believe in doubt
I believe doubt is a process of saying
“Excuse me, I have a question.”
Propagandists hate questions
and in so doing
detest art.
I believe in art.
We are so easily tempted to mimic, copy, follow, and accept status quo as reasonable and good enough.
In the church it happens like this: we look to another church in some other part of the state or country that is considered successful because of one or more of the “B’s” – buildings, budgets, and butts-in-seats.
We esteem these other churches as having or being something that we also should have or be. We podcast them. We fly over to them and scribble notes about everything we see and hear. We meet with their leaders to get their secret recipes. And then we bring it home to our state, city, neighborhood.
This whole thing reeks of a lack of imagination to me.
What ever happened to… Read More
The church has never done well when it was latched onto power. The church has always done better when it was on the margins. —Dr. Joseph B. Modica
I suppose it would be a colossal understatement to say there is a lot of hierarchy in church.
With all the titles and positions, posturing and power-grabbing, manipulating and controlling, and the ever-present sense that we are not enough—we need to be given advice, we need to fall in line (and if we don’t we can expect some form of dismissal, disapproval, excommunication, shunning, etc.), it’s no wonder people say they don’t… Read More
You direct me on the path that leads to a beautiful life. As I walk with You… I know true joy and contentment. —Psalm 16.11
Our home is near Lake Wilderness in Maple Valley. Just a block-and-a-half from our neighborhood is the trail that leads to all my favorite places… the lake, the arboretum, the river, the forest, and the field where boxes of bees from Yakima “rent” some space each summer.
Most days, we opt for a walk around the lake. Shari loves birds and birds love Lake Wilderness, so it’s a win.
A handful of times each year, we will see a blue heron or two. Even more rarely—maybe once or twice a year—we might see one of them flying over us. Whenever this happens, I stop and watch with reverence. It always feels like a sacred moment.
In Wendell Berry’s book The Long-Legged House, he describes witnessing the flight of… Read More
