Here is an Advent reflection I wrote for a service last year from John 1. Merry Christmas. Seeing an Eternal Creator 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, [...]

The shock of my pastor leaving has given me a new insight into the importance church has in my life.  I claim a lot of doubt, but the idea of someone new shaking things up has proven to me how much I truly care. I have more core beliefs than I have imagined recently.  Sometimes [...]

I read this article today questioning the effectiveness and importance of organized religion.  It’s a perennial question, but I see it being asked more and more (like in Anne’s post about Anne Rice).  One of my favorite authors, Diana Butler Bass, is working on a new book about people who say they are “spiritual, but [...]

When I was 23, I moved 750 miles away with some friends to plant a church.  It was what I had determined that Jesus had in mind for me at the time.  Some people acted like it was a big leap of faith.  It didn’t seem that way to me, more like just the next [...]

Months and months ago, I posted about contemplating whether to have my baby christened and how I could convince my husband to be cool with it.  Well, after a long time of procrastination, the baby and his big brothers will all be christened at our Episcopal church next month.  Or should I just say ‘baptized’ [...]

I didn’t go to church today.  I knew it we were having communion today.  My church does communion quarterly.  I was raised in a church that had monthly communion, although they would have never referred to it as anything as The Lord’s Supper. I think my uncomfortableness with communion goes back to my childhood.  I [...]

I realize I’ve been sharing other people’s thoughts more than my own lately, but that’s the beauty of the internets, eh?  Anyway, I liked McLaren’s response to this question on his blog. http://brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/q-r-evangelism-and-evangelists.html#more Social Bookmarking

Anne Rice’s Facebook: My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn’t understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely [...]

A few weeks ago, I wrote a somewhat emotionally reactive post about (hyper-) Calvinism and the seeming militant commitment to it by its adherents.  I didn’t mention it then, but the words were in response to a book I had just read, Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists.  Though I finished [...]

What are you doing for Lent? I thought about asking, “What are you giving up for Lent?” but really I think Lent is so much more than “giving up chocolate” or the like.  I know we are not all from church backgrounds that observe Lent.  For those unfamiliar with Lent, here’s how I explained it [...]