Should preachers stay away from politics? Welcome to this week’s edition of “How do we live in these days?” If you missed the first post last week about justice, kindness and humility you can read it here. Unless a preacher finds themselves in a politically homogenous congregation (do these really exist?) OR in a congregation …
preaching
How Will You Live Out Martin Luther King’s Legacy?
A Sermon Preached on Martin Luther King weekend at Laurel Presbyterian Church “When Jesus Makes Us Uncomfortable” from John 2:13-25 I can remember the first-time church going to church troubled me. It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, 2002. I was set to graduate college in a few short weeks. I was open to visiting a …
Some Not So Great Excuses
These are busy days around our household for as many of you know in addition to having a new baby around the house and putting the final touches on launching my book, Birthed, I’ve been serving a short-term pastorate at North Chevy Chase Christian Church in Chevy Chase, MD. I began there in July and …
Not That Kind of Christian Part 2
This is the second part in a series. If you missed the first entry begin by reading here. It all started on Easter Sunday morning– the most joyous day of the Christian year and I was not excited about getting out of bed. It took Kevin almost an hour to move me. The problem was …
If I Were Preaching Easter
Every year when I was a preaching pastor, I felt the anxiety rise the closer we got to Easter Sunday morning. The expectations. The crowds. The desire of the people to hear something new and meaningful. Though I had a mentor once tell me don’t sweat it, just tell the story. The problem is that …
So This Is It
It’s been over one year now since I left traditional ministry. And folks say to me all the time, “When are you going back to the church?” I don’t know how to answer other than to say that we need to think about the church in new ways. Why do we always think about church …
A Baptism Selfie
Who You Really Are: a Baptism Selfie Matthew 3:13-17 Preached January 12, 2013: Watonga Indian Baptist Mission Watonga, OK It has been said the word of the year of 2013 was “selfie.” Do you know what a selfie is? It’s a picture you take of yourself when there is no one else around to take …
Preaching Christmas in November in Nairobi
With no thanksgiving holiday to wait to pass, Christmas came early this year in Nairobi among the FTC family. It was a delight to be able to share in a worship service with the entire Kenyan staff this week. God Finding Us Dagoretti Children’s Center, November 22, 2013 Nairobi, KENYA Isaiah 1:2-4, Luke 2:1-20 When …
Hitting the Plazas of Nashville and Honolulu
These days the life plan of our household never extends beyond two months ahead– and this is if we are lucky. Kevin and I take opportunities as they come. Kevin never knows when the next international crisis will hit that will need us to pick up and travel. I never know when an opportunity to …
Why Do You Read the Bible?
Continuing with my series of questions about the life of faith. Up today: why do you read the Bible? When I was a child, I was told that the Bible was God’s word, no errors in it at all. Moses, you know, wrote the first five books and Jesus said word for word everything we …
God Calls Us to Live in the New
Guest blogger: Jayme Cloninger On February 19, Washington Plaza Baptist participated in the Baptist Women in Ministry’s Martha Stearns Marshall day of preaching by inviting Jayme Cloninger to preach, a recent college grad who is a friend of Pastor Elizabeth. Jayme currently serves as a human rights advocate for the Enough Project on the Raise Hope for Congo Campaign …