“The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in usual place. The lamp of God had not[…]
Joe Maddon, the Rays and 1 Thessalonians
A pastor friend of mine were catching up back in June and he recommended a book to me about my hometown baseball team – the Tampa Bay Rays. Now, it should be stated that my Major League Baseball affiliations have been somewhat wonky. To be honest, I was a fan[…]
VBS as a grown up…
This week has been Vacation Bible School at our church. At last count there were nearly 400 children hanging out for some undersea adventures. The theme this year was “going deep with God” and there are scenes from the ocean everywhere! We even have an octopus named Ocho that hangs[…]
Reflecting on a week
It’s been a very full week! After a Sunday that was crammed from start to finish, I grabbed my bag and headed to Northern Kentucky for this year’s Kentucky United Methodist Annual Conference. I always look forward to AC! There’s just something about seeing friends from across the state and[…]
What I do…
Folks ask me some of the strangest questions. Some are exciting and make me think deeply about the heart of God or human interaction. Some questions are honest inquiries into why the church does certain things – like lent or why are the communion elements covered with the little white[…]
a post for the Church…
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.[…]
Joy-less…
It’s always a bit difficult for me to talk about joy. It’s not because I’m against it, but because when I do I feel like I’m taking advantage of my very obvious connection to the word. Joy, the person, and I have been married for over 13 years. One of[…]
What Keeps Me Up…
With a title like “what keeps me up”, you might expect that I’m talking about my insomnia and subsequent teratment (again). That is not the point of this post. Sure, the thoughts that I’m talking about are no doubt a part of the storm that constantly rumbles in my head[…]
Being wet…
I read this quote this week: “help me to receive again my baptism, to live wet every day of my life, as a child of your covenant, set apart, scrubbed clean, & forgiven.” I’ve been thinking a lot about the journey of faith and this thing we call “Christianity”. According[…]
Samson and the Spirit
I had planned to teach on the life of Samson this sunday, but I’m redirecting my thoughts on the lives of Saul and David. It’s quite a switch, I know. I’m hoping to look at both of these men’s interaction with Spirit of God and how they interacted with the[…]