Faith in the Cracks

As the government shutdown continues and we are seeing food insecurity problems skyrocket with SNAP not being funded, how can we help? I think by and large people want to help and don't know how. For food insecurity issues right now, donate a few dollars when you buy groceries. See what they have - whether the Thanksgiving bags or donation bins. Talk to churches in your area as many who have...

Minor Prophet Habakkuk laments to God and shares his frustration at the wickedness he sees around him. Feels familiar. God answers that if it seems like justice has not come, to wait, for it is coming. When there are destructive hurricanes, corruption, children going hungry, and all that we lament in our world, we can cry out and like Habakkuk who stands his post and keeps watch, we can engage in...

Thomas Cahill's book "How the Irish Saved Civilization" walks through the downfall of the Roman Empire and how in the chaos the world almost lost all of the classic literature, poetry, theology, philosophy and that once Rome fell, there were no more great buildings or master art. When chaos ensures, creativity dies.  Enter Ireland. Unconquered by Rome and a place where monks copied...

St Brigid of Kildare was one of the historical people I encountered on my pilgrimage to Ireland. She was a bold figure and her historic life was mixed with the folklore. She established a monastery in Kildare where nuns and monks worked, lived and prayed side by side. Her leadership was recognized and she was made a Bishop - which the church later denied. I wondered what she might have to say to u...

I have just returned from a Celtic Spirituality Pilgrimage in Ireland. We encountered many "Thin places" and learned much along the way. Join me in pondering the question of "How will you live?" A question asked by our guide while at the monastic site in Glendalough. A safe space for those needing refuge and a place that many have been buried. Some of the tombstones are now nam...

Celtic Spirituality refers to Thin Places. Those places were we feel closer to God. These thin places can be in holy sites but they can also be just about anywhere. Look for thin places this week. Notice when you feel God close at hand.  Support the show

The past couple weeks have shown the deep divide. The assassination of Charlie Kirk has brought all the rage from both sides.  Some had no idea who he was. Others revered him. Others were hurt by his rhetoric. And where ever you were, that is okay. At the end of the day, the country has been reduced to battle language and war. A funeral became a political rally. We have seen each other more as ene...

There is a famous camp song "They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love." Too often, the world doesn't know us because we don't act in love. We are human. We are imperfect, but the world is watching. They want to see how we respond when times are tough.  How can we work to embody the love of Christ and to lift one another up?  How can we work to bear each others burdens? Some...

This week has been a lot. Another school shooting, death of Charlie Kirk, wars in the middle East and Ukraine, and any number of person issues for any of us. It is too much. People often say, "God won't give you more than you can handle." However, that is toxic theology. God walks with us, but God is not out to break us. We can cry out and we can lean on others, and we can trust in...

John Newton, who wrote  Amazing Grace  was a slave trader until a profound experience with God's grace changed him. Jesus talks about forgiveness and grace being given and the need for it to be passed on in the Gospel of Matthew. How might we be people who live by grace? How might we be people who offer grace to others instead of keeping score?  Support the show

Life can be more difficult when we feel the need to hide our truest selves. We need spaces in which we can be real. Church has for a long time been a place where it often feels like one must "keep up with the Joneses." What would happen if we made church a space where people could be who they are and where they are? What happens if we have courage enough to be real with one another and w...

Whose Line is it Anyway always used the phrase "and the points don't matter." However in life in community, we all have unique gifts and talents and more like a painting by Georges Seurat in the style of pointillism - every point matters. So bring yourself, know that you are enough, and know that your point matters.  Support the show

Lego sets come with instructions. The bigger the set, the bigger the book or books. There are step by step instructions of how to build what's on the box. The Bible is the Christian Instruction manual. It is the inspired Word of God that can help us learn more about who God is and who God calls us to be. We learn from the troubles and trials of God's people and learn that the promises of...

It is August so it is back to backpacks and football games. There is a rhythm to the fall and honestly there is a rhythm to everything in life. Whether it is the back to school routine instead of more laid back days of summer or it is the church year which has high holy seasons as well as ordinary time, or it is your spiritual self that has times of harvest and excitement and other times of rest a...

That space where it is all you can do to take the next step. Flight, fight or freeze has kicked in and you are simply trying to survive the day. Survival mode happens to all of us and it is not where we are at our best. Even when we are in survival mode, God walks with us. God wants to walk through this with us and bring us back to a place of abundant life? Know that God is with you even when you...

Anne Lamott has been quoted as saying "Grace always bats last." In Ephesians Paul reminds us that grace is a gift of God. It isn't anything we can beg, borrow, or steal. we can't earn it. God gives it. Grace invites us into the story, even if we feel we have messed up - kind of like Laura Buntings "Another book about Bears." We are part of God's story and grace m...

As we have watched flooding and wars going on all around the world, it is hard not to fall into despair. But recently I have had opportunities to do things for people that they could not repay - nor did I expect them to. Random acts of kindness used to be a thing, and I think we should bring them back. What random act of kindness can you do to bring joy and love and light to the world?  Support th...

In a world in crisis, what is mine to hold? I cannot solve the Middle East, Ukraine, ICE, the floods, so what is mine to hold. The Bible repeatedly tells us not to be anxious but to cast our cares on God. How do we do that? How do we do what we can and let the rest go?  Support the show

The news of flash floods in the Texas Hill Country and so many people, including lots of young campers who have died or are yet unaccounted for is heartbreaking. I have spent time in the Texas Hill Country. I have driven past those camps. I have played in the Guadalupe River. The devastation is horrific.  I am also heartbroken because a mother with 2 young girls came looking for help to self-depor...

I have seen in recent weeks the need for community. We read about community and its importance throughout the Bible. We need others. We need relationship. Community can help support us in times of need, celebrate when we celebrate and weep or mourn with us when we need that too. How can we better be community in the way in which Fred Rogers asked us to be neighbors?  Support the show

The church I serve is celebrating 40 years of ministry. The day has been in planning for over a year. Then the night before, news breaks that the US has bombed 3 nuclear sites in Iran. I felt the need to address it, but didn't want to take away from the celebration. I found a poem by Nikita Gill that speaks to rage and love coming from the same place. I leaned into the love. The text Romans 8...

Father's Day weekend and spending time in Branson, MO got me thinking about my dad. He was always looking at the heart of people. He cheered people on when they chased their dreams. He would be proud of his grandkids as they have chased what they want to do. In Branson, I also got to see a long time friend who along with her husband owns one of the theaters in Branson. Tina knew and worked wi...

VBS is going on as I record. There are kids laughing, singing and playing all over the church building. There is joy. The adults are having fun and laughing and smiling too. How can we bring more joy into our lives and then share that with the world. How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit like the Apostles at Pentecost and go out to share the Good News! Take some time this week to experience jo...

Acts 16 brings an earthquake and a prison escape. However it also brings a picture of people who are free even if they are in chains. Paul and SIlas sing while in prison, they offer worship and praise in the dark of their captivity. They are free, because Christ has set them free. How might we sing in the darkness and offer hope to others?  Support the show

Grace - we talk about it in the Christian church a lot, but it is harder to practice. How do we, particularly in busy or difficult seasons of life offer grace to others and to ourselves. Grace does not mean we ignore consequences, but rather, we allow room for growth and transformation. Give it a try. ALlow yourself and others some grace in the coming weeks.  Support the show