Faith in the Cracks

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...

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