On Sunday I spoke at Pasadena Covenant Church, our sister church that has partnered with us in this adventure of church planting here in South Central. I never cease to be amazed by the generosity of this congregation. Generosity of friendship, of time, of listening and praying and celebrating with us. It is a true… Continue reading The Communion of Saints
Category: Church
Quotation of the Week
“When Jesus opens the table to all, the table begins to tell a new story. But it is a story unlike the story of his contemporaries. The observant person’s table story: You can eat with me if you are clean. If you are unclean, take a bath and come back tomorrow evening. Jesus’ table story:… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
What do you mean?
I made an amusing discovery this past week. Mercy is generally a very good talker. She knows a lot of words and her pronunciation is great (except for blanket which is “biktet”, “bagdhad”, or “biltlek”, or some composite of the three). However, there have been two words that she uses with great frequency that have… Continue reading What do you mean?
Quotation of the Week
“Most churches ask, ‘How do we get them to come to us?’ The real question is, ‘How do we get us to go to them.’ ” From a sermon preached by my preaching hero, Brenda Salter McNeil, at the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan this past week. See for… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
from death to life
When I became pregnant with Mercy, it was as if everywhere I looked there were nothing but other pregnant women. It’s the same with cars, right? As soon as you buy a Subaru, that’s all you ever see on the road! A few weeks ago, I posted about my newly acquired poverty-induced stinginess. Since writing… Continue reading from death to life
how does your garden grow?
Last night I held my final membership class for a wonderful group of individuals considering joining Church of the Redeemer. To be honest, I was sad that it was over because I really enjoyed the excuse just to hang out with these folks. Even with two moderately grumpy babies (mine included), the class went well… Continue reading how does your garden grow?
The sound of silence
This week has me thinking about how we are doing as a church right now in terms of existing together as a learning community. Some people are expressing dissatisfaction with how they are being “fed”. I feel some degree of tension between wanting the church to give people what they need to grow, and wanting… Continue reading The sound of silence
Let the little children come
Mercy picked up her pink guitar today and started singing. It was impressive not because of the volume (though I must say the girl’s got some lungs), nor her little performer’s stance, nor the dramatic facial expressions she was making which could have landed her a spot on Idol for sure. What grabbed me were… Continue reading Let the little children come
cartoon houses
A friend of mine has owned a home here in our community for many years. Recently, she and her husband painted their exterior in rich earth tones and enhanced their landscaping. When you drive by, you immediately notice how nice their home looks. This past month, their neighbor also decided to beautify his home. He… Continue reading cartoon houses
Yoda and the Passover
Dick Staub has written a new book, Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters, that explores the question of how my generation has (or in most cases, has not) been mentored by those who have gone before us. He uses the clever comparison of Jedi in desperate need of Yodas who will instruct and guide and… Continue reading Yoda and the Passover