The Truth Will Set You Free
Freedom is a hot commodity these days. I guess it always has been. There’s lots of talk these days about helping people find freedom from oppressive governments, from economic hardship, from worries about healthcare, etc. I’m sure if you think long enough you can think of things you need freedom from. For me, it’s freedom from cheeseburgers and pizza (or at least freedom from the craving for such things). Ultimately we all need freedom from our own sin, our mistakes, the tendency to sin and make mistakes, the guilt from past poor decisions, and the shame due to rebellious and immoral choices. Jesus said this in the gospel of John (8:31-32):

Evil. Tragedy, and Hope
Evil is the only word that comes to mind as I ponder the senseless killing and maiming at Fort Hood the other day. My mind quickly jumps from one conclusion to the other. No one really knows the full story right now. The motivation of Maj. Hasan remains cloudy, and so my conclusions have no real basis. However, just because the motivation is unknown, the truth of the situation is not. What happened that day in Fort Hood has a name – and that name is EVIL. Notice I did not say that Maj. Hasan was evil. His actions were evil. So were the actions of the man who shot his lover’s husband a day or two ago. So were the actions of the business man who lied to his

Communion – Seconds and Forever
It was an amazing day – Sunday November 1, 2009. I’m not sure I’ll remember the day itself but there are things about it I will never forget. It was a Sunday when we celebrated Holy Communion. I remember standing behind the table going through the Communion service. I was privileged to lift and break the bread and lift the cup in thanksgiving. But, what I remember most was standing at the Communion table where candles were lit representing the saints who have gone before us. I reminded those gathered there that this was a table outside of time – an eternal table. When we gather to share the Communion meal we gather with all those who have gone be

Make Them Thirsty
In my sermon this week I told a story about a young salesman who had given his very best pitch but the prospects did not make a purchase. He said to his boss – “I guess it’s true that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” The boss responded with – “Your job is not to make them drink, your job is to make them thirsty.” That story struck me as I prepared the sermon, but it has stayed with me even more since I preached it (in case you folks were wondering if God ever used a sermon to talk to the preacher, this is just one example!). Our job is to make people thirsty – well, our job may be better d

Reclaiming Methodism – a Biblical Diet
I seem to channeling John Wesley these days – I feel so Shirley McClaine-ish. I just seem compelled to bring some Wesleyan/Methodist perspective into these conversations lately. I think our heritage is not one we have to revert to, but we can reclaim it for today – and I’m not sure we do that much. My example for today has to do with sermon I preached about Spiritual Growth and our need to be engaged daily with God’s Word. I used the image I had heard from another preacher friend – the image of God feeding us spiritually daily just as he fed the Israelites physically each day with manna from heaven. Wesley was a big advocate of daily readin