Faith in the Cracks

Community is a group of people who share something in common. But true community is more. We need communities where we have regular interaction and shared core values. We need groups that care about a common goal and who care about one another.  The pandemic took community away for many people and studies show the detriment that has caused. I think some of the political rancor and shootings are in...

Sharing your faith for many people can be scary. Sometimes we don't think we have the right words or know what to say. The simplest ways to talk about faith are being loved by God. And sometimes that is completely enough. Other times, our actions can speak just as well as our words or maybe better. How can we simplify our faith. We are loved by God. We want to love others. Jesus loves me this...

For those of us who grew up in the 1980's we probably can remember the show "Cheers" a place where everybody known your name. We all need to be known. Otherwise things can feel a bit lonely. In Psalm 23 and in John 10 we hear about the Good Shepherd. The one who leads us to green pastures and still waters, the one who leads us through the valley of darkness, who protects us and who...

Violence against women has gone on for too long. It is time for us to break the cycle of violence. In the Gospel of John, Jesus stands up to those who would stone a woman caught in the act of adultery. He simply asks the one without sin to cast the first stone. He doesn't condemn or shame her. We need to stand up for others. We need to stand in the gap and end violence against women.  Support...

Enough with the gun violence, the rage shootings, and fear. We have to live in love and make changes to the world around us.  Support the show

Sometimes life feels crazy and we feel like we need to go back to a time when life made more sense. It happens for Inigo in "The Princess Bride" and it happens to the disciples after Jesus's death. What happens when we go back and find a place where things made sense as a way to get our feet back under us. Take a listen and think about where your beginning spot might be.  Support th...

Join me to hear about Easter and why it matters that Christ rose from the dead. We will also play a bit with what songs could be on an Easter soundtrack.  Support the show

Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter - this is the Holiest Week in the Christian year but why does it matter. Why does any of this matter particularly in light of the tragedies and violence that continue in the world? Join me this week as we talk about why it is important not to go simply from Palm Sunday to Easter, but to remember all the hard stuff through the week Support the show

The Bible has lots of unlikely leaders. God chose the old, the young, the outcast and shattered lots of expectations. We need to do that too. We need new voices in leadership. The same minds that got us into the messes we find ourselves will not get us out. The Kansas Leadership Center in Wichita, KS talks about anyone can lead. So we need to find more young voices and people who don't often...

How do we prepare our spiritual soil for spring? How do would get our gardens ready for spring? Inspired by a poem by John Updike, we will grab a hoe and break open the ground to ready it and ourselves for new growth.  Support the show

Water is essential for our bodies to function properly. Spiritual water is needed for us to avoid spiritual dehydration too. What fills your bucket with spiritual water, what is life giving for you? Take a few minutes and refresh yourself.  Support the show

We all have moments in life when we would like a do-over.  In 2021 the World Economic Foundation saw the pandemic as a chance for a world wide reset, yet, I wonder if we actually did that. I think as the world has re opened, we have fallen back into old familiar habits. What would happen if we allowed ourself the space, time, and grace to reset? In this season of Lent, we have a time for self-refl...

This week I look at the Asbury University revival which started on February 8th through the lens of the improv exercise "Yes, and." Yes and is a way to continue conversation. I have no idea what will come out of the revival that has been going on for the past 2 weeks, only time will tell, but instead of meeting it with skepticism or trying to put it in one theological box or another, how...

After watching the Super Bowl ads and exploring the website of HeGetsUs.com, I wonder if we get Jesus. What the ads present is true, but at what point do we have to get Jesus in order to follow and practice the kind of love and radical hospitality  that he did? We seem to like to make Jesus look and sound an awful lot like we do.  Support the show

Episode 4 - Teamwork.  Both the Eagles and the Chiefs have to have great teamwork to have reached the Super Bowl. All of us have been in groups or on teams, some more successful than others. When teams work well together, everyone is made better. In the church we talk about being the Body of Christ and just like our own bodies, we need different people with the abilities to do different things for...

Just as throwing a stone into water causes ripples in the water, what can throwing kindness into the world do? How can we have a positive effect on the world around us when there seems to be so much pain?  Support the show

Mark Twain once said "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 take a deep breath and get over our fears to go forward. While our fear responses can be very helpful at times, there are days when you have to get out of the boat or y...

Learning to ride a bike. The first day of school. Learning to drive a car. Starting a new job. New things can be scary, but they can also be exciting. Join me on this new thing of podcasting. I hope God is doing new things within you too! Support the show