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, and without him not one thing came into being. We look into the past and marvel at the lighting of our sun, the ordering of our solar system, the orbiting… Continue reading →
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 it takes a big change to shake you up and see what has always been there. I have a grasp on what I feel is important for me and my… Continue reading →
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 Lynnea’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 not religious.” I’m curious what others have to say on the subject. Has Religion Run Its Course? Social Bookmarking
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 step in that nebulous idea known as “my future.” I was enthusiastic and evangelical (although at the time, I didn’t know that word, I was simply a Baptist.) A large… Continue reading →
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’ for the big boys? Christening seems like just a baby thing. Anyway, it turned out after all my rambling on and worrying about it, that my husband was fine with… Continue reading →
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 was raised that you had to be right with God to partake. I struggle, so I don’t feel right. I have been to a Disciples of Christ church where the… Continue reading →
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 more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become. Social Bookmarking
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 the book with a bit more insight regarding this resurgent movement, I am continually dismayed by the certainty and hubris displayed in this particular way of viewing both God and… Continue reading →
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 to some online friends earlier today. Technically it is a season of the church calendar leading up to Easter which is supposed to be about fasting, prayer, and penitence in… Continue reading →