Dr. David McLennon once wrote about his very first job in a small-town general store. At age thirteen he was hired as a handy boy. He would sweep the flour, bag items for customers, and put up stock. One Saturday, he heard the owner say to one of the clerks “It’s that time of the […]
Zig Ziglar once told a story about an old man who many years ago stood on a Virginia riverbank. He was waiting to cross the river and since it was bitterly cold and there were no bridges, he would have to catch a ride to the other side. After a lengthy wait, he spotted a […]
At a previous church where I served, we had a contemporary worship service. At some point, our worship committee brought up the idea of a dress code for our band. And, as a part of that dress code, they wanted to make sure that our band members did not show any tattoos or piercings. In […]
Our church has a partnership with a church across town. We have been working with them over the last few years to help restore a blighted neighborhood in West St. Augustine. One of the first times I went to help out, it was not on one of the scheduled work days, but I went with […]
Back in August, I was doing some continuing education in North Carolina. One of the books I read in preparation for the class was called, The Great DeChurching. It was based on current social and demographic research. Apparently, right now we are in the middle of the largest and fastest religious shift in the history […]
Yesterday we reflected on John 12:21, where some Greeks find the disciple Phillip and say, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” By identifying them as Greeks, John is telling us that they are not Jewish. They are not religious insiders. But they have somehow found themselves at a religious festival. They must have heard about […]
At Columbia Seminary, where I went to school, and where John worked as the Dean of Students, in their chapel, they have a big wooden pulpit. And, I can tell you it is nerve-wracking and a little scary to stand up there and look out at all the professors and theology students. On the back […]
Yesterday we talked about scapegoats – in the cultural sense of the word – someone to blame when things go wrong. The Bible talks about scapegoats too – only in a little different sense. The book of Leviticus (16:20-22) tells us that God provided a means to alleviate guilt and shame, by giving the Israelites […]
I came across an old comic strip the other day “Frank and Ernest.” It was simply a drawing of Noah’s ark with the animals lined up getting on board two by two. Noah says to Ms. Noah, “Two each of everything, except we’ll take as many scapegoats as we can get!” In life, we like […]
There is an old story about a Tailor who visits his Rabbi. The Tailor says “I have a problem with my prayers. If someone comes to me and says, ‘Mendel, you’re a wonderful tailor,’ that makes me feel good. I feel appreciated. I can go on feeling good for a whole week, even longer on […]
