I was going to preach on Abraham’s compassion and hospitality that he showed to the three visitors from God. But as I read this passage over and over again, I couldn’t help but come back to the miraculous ways in which God works in our world and in our lives. For the past couple of … [Read more…]
So there has been so many lessons that I have learned since social distancing began. One of the things that I have learned is that I do not like staring at myself as I preach and run worship. I find it very distracting. I have become very aware of my own sensitivities because of Zoom … [Read more…]
We communicate a whole lot before we even open our mouths to speak. If we are aware and invested in the relationships around us sometimes words are not even needed to communicate needs. Children do this all the time as they are developing their communication skills. I myself have had to rely on these other … [Read more…]
Living in community and caring for one another is another of the Christian Spiritual practices that often gets overlooked and underestimated. Community was important right from the beginning of Christianity. We know this because where Christ said, “Wherever one or two of you are gathered there I will be as well”. A Christian community is … [Read more…]
You ever look around at the world or go through times in life when you wonder to yourself “What in the world are you doing God”? I think we all have wondered this several times in our lives. When I was a young child, this was a question that I came face to face with. … [Read more…]
In 2008, I was out walking on my lunch break in the neighborhood of my apartment. The walk took me past a playground at a local elementary school. There on that playground one beautiful spring day, I watched the children playing as I was walked past. Then I saw a little boy with a bigger … [Read more…]
As a child, my father thought it imperative, that my brothers and I learned about nature. We would watch nature programs together as a family and my father taught us about food chains, the birth of animals, and the power of nature. We would observe how our cats would stalk birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits … [Read more…]
When I was in high school and college, I was known for never really being happy in my relationships. My brothers used to tease me that I hurt all the young men I dated. And you know, they were right. I frequently would grow bored with my relationships and then move on. When I met … [Read more…]
As Christians, we very rarely speak of the importance of Sabbath rest and what it really means. And I have spent the past week reflecting upon how other peoples honor Sabbath rest. My father-in-law’s family, who range from conservation to orthodox Jews, takes very seriously the notion of Sabbath. On the Sabbath my husband’s uncles … [Read more…]
Sometimes I wonder what in the world God is thinking and what he has in store for the world and me. I had a mentor in seminary who one day said to me “Amanda, everything you experience in life is meant to be used. There is a reason for everything and God has a plan.” … [Read more…]
