Faith in the Cracks

As we come to Thanksgiving, let us work to be thankful as well as to be grateful. Gratitude often has an element of reflection that goes with our thankfulness. Let us not overlook those close to us and the opportunities that surround us.  Support the show

Paulo Coelho's book "The Alchemist" is the story of a boy's journey to embrace his personal legend. We all have things we are meant to do in life, but it can be a scary prospect to chase our dreams. We will go through hardship and trial, but according to a quote in the book, "The universe conspires to help us reach our dreams." How can we chase our dreams and see thin...

At the beginning of November we celebrate All Saints Day and All Saints Sunday. We are reminded of all those who have come before us and those who have passed faith along to us. We do not come to faith all on our own. There are others, grandparents, parents, mentors, and others who nurture our faith and share their own faith. Let us pause to remember those who have gone before and who have shared...

In the wake of the death of my dad, I have seen and heard many tributes to his life and the impact he had on others. It has made me stop and think about those who have shaped and formed various parts of my life. It has also made me think about the ways in which I may have impacted the life of another. None of us go through life alone, we all have people around us who help and guide us. Take time t...

We all need hope. The news cycle being what it is and events in our personal lives can make faith difficult. In the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 43, God speaks to the people who are in exile. God tells them not to hold onto former things for God is about to do a new thing. That God will make a path in the wilderness and a river in the desert. Sometimes we need that river in the desert of our lives too....

There is so much going on in the world that is hard to watch and listen to. The war in Ukraine continues and now we have a terror attack from Hamas and the Israeli response. I remember talking about Israel/Palestine in High School and we have continued to talk about it with no real resolution. What breaks my heart is the thousands of innocent civilians who are caught in harms way. The thousands th...

We all need a little perspective from time to time. Watching my son play soccer - he is under 10, there are no college scouts or scholarships on the line, just learning the game, yet it is hard when you lose and lose big. I went through it about age 15 or so. The year we spent counting how many times we got over the half line.  It was a tough season but we got better. His team will too.  We have t...

Sunday, October 1st was World Communion Sunday. It is a reminder that we celebrate around the Lord's Table with siblings in Christ world wide. In Paul's letter to the church at Rome, he reminds the early Christians that they are in it together. Unity is needed. This means that each one of them brings gifts to the group that are needed, but they are not of more importance than anyone else...

My dad died a week or so ago. Grief is a hard process. We will all grieve the loss of people in our lives as well as pets, jobs, relationships and other aspects of life. Grief is a part of our human existence, and it is never easy. Grief will come and go and the process is not linear nor finite. When you experience grief, give yourself time and space to be where you need to be. Whether it is profo...

Anne Lamott in her book Plan B has a quote "Laughter is carbonated holiness." Like the bubbles rise to the top, laughter lifts us up. We need more laughter in life. It is good for our immune system as well as our physical and mental health and it is good for our soul.  We need to laugh with others and share in that communal activity and we need to learn to laugh at ourselves like when I...

In the chapter 10 of the Gospel of Luke there is a story about 2 sisters who have different approaches to life. Martha is the hostess with the mostest and her sister Mary wants to sit and listen to Jesus. Martha gets annoyed and asks Jesus to tell her sister to come help. Instead Jesus tells Martha to not be worried and distracted and that listening is important and Mary gets to do that.  Actively...

Moral Therapeutic Deism was a phrase coined in 2005 by researchers Christian Smith and Melinda Denton. The National Study of Youth and Religion was used for a book called Soul Searching as well as for a book Almost Christian . These books point to the displacement of Christianity with Moral Therapeutic Deism.  We have to remember that faith isn't about being nice and making ourselves happy. F...

We all have a gift to create. God created the heavens and the earth and also humanity. Within us God instilled the ability to create as well. I listened to a local children's artist Dino O'Dell (http://dinoodell.com) and marveled at his ability to create songs that are fun, educational and engaging. I also thought about how my children often ask if God made roads, or cars, or anything th...

In Episode 2 I talked about a Mark Twain quote  “If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.” Sometimes we have to do hard things in life.  I think about this as people are going back to school. Changing schools can be hard and so can just going into a new class or...

Throughout the Bible there are stories of God calling people to specific tasks. Moses is called to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Jeremiah is called to bring a tough word to the people across 4 decades. The disciples are called to leave their nets and follow Jesus. While many of us will not have such dramatic call stories, we are all called. Call is not just for pastors or teachers or nurses....

Just like plants grow in the seed and under the dirt before we see the sprout, our faith grows quietly and in secret as well. Sometimes we don't notice growth as it is incremental. I think of when I look at my children and think "They've grown" or I think about watching people make hard things look effortless and realize that I have not seen all of the time and energy they have...

"Jesus Loves Me" is an long beloved children's hymn. Written as a poem in 1860 with music written for it in 1861, this children's hymn has been a starting point of faith for many Christians in the past 150 years.  Although it may seem simple, this song present a statement of faith that is a great place to start growing.  Support the show

I am excited to share the news that my first children's book has been published. "I Miss Grandma" is now available on Amazon. Getting to a published product was a journey. My mom died in 2021 and this book came about based on the questions that my daughter was asking as well as not finding many resources about grief for children.  There has been lots of self doubt along the way too....

Change is an inevitable part of life. Our bodies change, technology changes, the world changes. We cannot go about doing things the same way as the 1950's or the 1980's or honestly even as we did before the pandemic. We can resist change or we can lean in and work with it. We can allow ourselves to change and create new ways of engaging with the world.  Support the show

What does it mean to be Christian and to be patriotic? As we come to the 4th of July, we often find Christians who have wrapped themselves in the flag, but I wonder if that is actually Christian or actually patriotic? At the heart of patriotism there is a sense of wanting to do what is in the best interest of the common good for the country. Sometimes that may mean questioning officials. Part of p...

Today we look at the soil in which spiritual growth blossoms. This soil must be tended to and nurtured through study, prayer, and community. When we garden, sometimes we must add nutrients into the soil to create the optimal place for plants to grow, so too we must tend to our souls.  Support the show

This week we continue our series based on Matthew 13 and the Parable of the Sower. The soil this week is where the seed is sown among the thorns. How do weeds and thorns compete with faith, in other words, how do caress of the world get in our way of spiritual growth?  Support the show

We continue the exploration of Matthew 13 and the Parable of the Sower. This week the rocky soil. This is soil that has been broken up, but there isn't enough nutrients and good soil for plants to sustain growth. They may quickly sprout, but the sun makes them wither in rocky soil.  Support the show

In chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells the parable of the Sower. In this parable we find that the seed is scattered on 4 different types of soil. The hard path, rocky soil, with the weeds, and good soil. Each soil has a meaning. Part 1 speaks about the hard path - soil that has been trampled and walked on and the seed is unable to get through so it is eaten by the birds. Sometimes lif...

Pentecost is the day Christians celebrate the birthday of the church. The Holy Spirit arrives and people from all over hear the wonders of God in their own languages. Our ears are tuned to hear our names and our languages even in the most crowded of places. This story from Acts as well as the story from 1 Corinthians 12 that speaks of the Body of Christ and lifts up the different gifts we are give...