The Gauntlet of Blessings
The new year is in full swing, which means all those things that have been holding off until “after the holidays” are also beginning to gain momentum. January is an especially full time in the life of our congregation, and if you are here for the next few Sundays, you…
Advent Practices
Last Sunday we kicked off a new liturgical year, which means we have officially entered the season of Advent. This is a season where we dwell on hope, waiting, expectation, and preparation to once again welcome the Christ child. During Advent, we learn to wait for the incarnation of God…
Do You Sense What I Sense?
The Advent and Christmas seasons are quickly approaching, and this year we will be focusing our worship services around the theme “Do You Sense What I Sense?” This is a play on the familiar song, “Do You Hear What I Hear?”, and while the lyrics to that song ask about…
WDJD?
When I was in college, I found an old party game in the back of a closet. The game was called A Question of Scruples, and the gist of the game was that you had to guess how other people would respond to an ethical dilemma drawn at random from…
Big Cheese
It is so good to have Joel back, and I want to thank all of you who helped me make a summer of being the solo pastor for CMC go so smoothly. In the last few days before Joel left for his sabbatical, he started sending me detailed lists of…
Notice, Name, Nurture
It is good to be back with the Columbus Mennonite community after my seven week sabbatical. I know I’ve said it before, but it is truly an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to serve within a community that recognizes the value of setting aside intentional time for…
Sanctified Imagination
This past week I had the opportunity to attend the Schooler Institute on Preaching at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. It was led by the Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney who drew on her expertise in biblical interpretation and womanist hermeneutics to challenge and inspire attendees to take seriously our…
Fellow Travelers and Co-Interpreters
It is that time of year again: time to start looking forward to our Coming of Age Celebration on February 4, 2018 during our Sunday morning worship. Starting this coming Sunday, our Junior High Sunday School class will begin planning the worship service for February 4, offering their ideas, suggestions,…
From ‘Knowing’ to ‘Making Meaning’
You might remember from a previous blog post that I am in the middle of preparing to be the speaker of Camp Friedenswald’s Junior High Winter Retreat on the topic of “What do we do with the Bible?” It is a topic I chose because it is something I still…
Piecing the Puzzle of Scripture
I have been asked to be the featured speaker at the upcoming Jr. High Winter Retreat at Camp Friedenswald in January. For my topic, I decided to go with: “What do we do with the Bible?” I chose this topic partially because the High School Sunday School class is already…
