Learning to see
Greetings from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. It’s ccccold with lots of snow on the ground, but a surprising number of people have shown up for this year’s Pastor’s Week. There’s been a lot of change here even since I graduated in 2006. Aside from some new and…
Coming of Age
How do you know when you’re no longer a child and have grown into a new stage of life? Cultures throughout time have had various rites of passage that have marked this transition, and at Columbus Mennonite we are beginning a Coming of Age practice of our own, to be…
Gay update
Nothing like starting off the new year with one of the most contentious issues facing the wider church. There are a number of happenings right now having to do with how the Mennonite Church relates with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and self-identified queer persons (LGBTQ). Mountain States Conference (one of…
CMC Advent 2013 haikus
I had some fun writing four haikus that hopefully capture some of the spirit of Advent at Columbus Mennonite this season. If you have one send it my way and I’ll add it to the blog: Come in from the cold Mystery saved you a seat Watch. Christ will sneak…
More on starlings and Advent
John the Baptist is always a central character during the second week of Advent. He is, in the words of Isaiah, “a voice calling out in the wilderness.” His message was simple and direct, even harsh. “Repent.” Change your mind, change your actions, change your life. Get ready for the…
Advent Mystery
Our theme this Advent season is Mystery. It’s a powerful word and idea. It’s the kind of word that demands more words, to get to the bottom of it. Or, the surrender of all words, silence, to confess there is no bottom. “Be still…,” Psalm 46:10. “No one knows…,” Matthew…
An ending and beginning
Only a few days left until the end of the year – the end of the liturgical year, that is. This coming Sunday marks the final Sunday of the ecumenical church calendar and is followed by the beginning of Advent, a rebooted cycle in the life of the church. Although…
BREAD rises
Last evening I attended the annual assembly of BREAD – Building Responsibility, Equality, And Dignity. Many of you know this better than I, but in case not: BREAD is a county wide interfaith organization that selects one pressing social issue per year on which to try and make a significant…
Heresy
Today I came across a quote attributed to Thomas Merton: “If the you of five years ago doesn’t consider the you of today a heretic, you are not growing spiritually.” I’m a little leery to pass it along because it doesn’t have a specific reference to one of Merton’s writings. …
Settling into place
Our family has been living in our house for about three months now (My first month at CMC, you may remember, was homeless and wife-and-kids-less). The moving in process is slow but rewarding. In the last week we have hung curtains, organized our dining rooms shelves, found the just-right color/design/size…
