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…
Journeying with the Anabaptists (Part 2)
As I mentioned last month, I am participating in an online course called ““Exploring Anabaptist History and Theology.” When I wrote the last blog, it was the first week of the course, and we were still looking at the very beginnings of the the Anabaptist movement. Well, we are now…
Journeying with the Anabaptists
I am currently participating in an online course through the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary called “Exploring Anabaptist History and Theology.” Because I attended a Methodist seminary, this is a chance for me to gain more formal training in the history of the tradition in which I am now ministering. Like…
Curiosity and Wondering
Before we put Vacation Bible School (VBS) completely out of our minds, I wanted to take a minute to reflect back on the takeaways from a week that zoomed by so quickly. There were plenty of takeaways about what kinds of things worked well this year and what kinds of…
MCUSA Reflections
Many of you heard some of my thoughts about the MCUSA Convention on Sunday. (If you missed it, you can find the text of my sermon HERE.) As a way of continuing the conversation about our time of discerning together as a denomination, we will be sending out reflections from…
