Category Archives: Uncategorized

How many nonagenarians do we have in the house today?  Octagenarians?  Any young whippersnapper septuagenarians?  Here’s the good news–or maybe it’s bad news.  Here’s the news proclaimed from Scripture today: if you’re younger than 99, you’re only getting started.  Abram was … Continue reading →

  Last Wednesday, we took our first Mercy Walk.  We talk a lot here at FCUCC about breathing in God’s love in worship, then breathing out God’s love in the world.  For Lent, Mercy Walks will help us shorten the … Continue reading →

            Here’s what bugs me about this story.  It’s not the odd appearance of Moses and Elijah  with Jesus on the mountain.  And I’m not bugged by Peter’s ebullient outburst; that’s just who Peter was.  I’m not bugged by the … Continue reading →

I was saddened–but not surprised–by reports from the Houston Chronicle that 380 clergy and other staff in Southern Baptist churches sexually abused 700 children and adults in the last 20 years.     Many people have faulted the congregational polity … Continue reading →

A sermon a few weeks ago invited us to hear I Corinthians 13–the love chapter–in the context of a current-day situation.  Later, during Friendship Time, I encountered someone who wasn’t smiling.  When I asked about the lack of joy, the … Continue reading →

  A few years ago a clergy friend from Rochester, New York, had a medical crisis in the Atlanta airport.  She was rushed to the hospital, where she stayed for a week until she stabilized and was able to return … Continue reading →

So, you’re on the shore, beside your boat, washing your nets after a disappointing night of fishing.  A large crowd has gathered on the beach and up the hill behind it.  From the crowd emerges a figure, who walks up … Continue reading →

Last week, in his first letter to the Corinthians, we encountered Paul’s Mr. Potato Head theology.  There, he writes:  “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit…To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common … Continue reading →

Next Friday is my first anniversary as your pastor.  What a year we’ve had!  As we continue getting to know each other, I want to share with you some more of my MO as a pastor.       A big part of … Continue reading →

During a sabbatical in 2014, I drove from a monastery in Indiana to a music camp in New Hampshire.  After crossing Ohio, I took a right at Erie, Pennsylvania, then began the long trek across the state of New York. … Continue reading →