The recent arrest of a “Christian” militia group (yea Ohio and Michigan) has made international news (just what I want my friends around the globe reading about us) and for good reason, the initial response of hearing about a group of people who think of themselves as followers of Jesus taking up arms to killContinue reading “(mis)Quote of the Day: Jesus and Equipment”
Monthly Archives: March 2010
New Convergent Friends Article (Quaker Studies)
Next time you find your way to a university library you should pick up the latest copy of Quaker Studies journal (Volume 14, Issue 2 March 2010). My first journal article, “Convergent Friends: The Emergence of Postmodern Quakerism,” appears there.
When the Stones Fell Silent
He answered, I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out. (Luke 19:40) Today is Palm Sunday, the day we reflect on Jesus’ “triumphal” ride into Jerusalem. Ironically his ride isn’t really triumphant as much as it is parody; the king of Jews riding on the back of a small colt, with hisContinue reading “When the Stones Fell Silent”
Preparing for Unprogrammed Worship in A Programmed (Quaker) Meeting
When I was hired as the pastor of Camas Friends one of the things that the elders told me was that they hoped to have unprogrammed (aka silent or open) worship quarterly. This was an attractive idea to me and I was glad they were willing to support this type of worship in our meeting.Continue reading “Preparing for Unprogrammed Worship in A Programmed (Quaker) Meeting”
Christ would not be Redeemer
Today is the feast of Oscar Romero so as I think about his work today and pray for all those who are cruelly treated, those who do not have a voice of their own and those who long for God to make the world new, I am posting some of his thoughts for others toContinue reading “Christ would not be Redeemer”
Creating Liberated Spaces: Some Thoughts
Back in February, and on the dawn of Transfiguration Sunday, about 30 (?) folks piled into a Southeastern Portland home to share in a conversation being facilitated by two out of towners Eliacin Rosario-Cruz (Seattle) and Mark Van Steenwyk (Minnesota). The crowd was made up of a number of men and women from a variety ofContinue reading “Creating Liberated Spaces: Some Thoughts”
Iconocast Podcast
I’ve been really enjoying the first two episodes of the Iconocast and thought I’d share the link here for those of you interested in listening in. The podcast is put together by some of the fine folks behind the Jesus Manifesto site as well as Jarrod McKenna of the Peace Tree community in Australia andContinue reading “Iconocast Podcast”
A Prayer for Those in Need
Here is a prayer we prayed one Sunday morning after reflecting on those who have great needs in our town. God of the broken, God of the wanderer, Christ who is without shelter, Surround those in deep need among us. Surround them and help us hear their cries for help. We are a people whoContinue reading “A Prayer for Those in Need”
Simplicity in a World of Excess – John 12:1-8
This week on the pastor’s email list there has been a really long discussion around whether it is appropriate to boycott certain businesses. It all started when a pastor sent around a forward he’d received that claimed that a certain corporation had been working with the immigration enforcement to get immigrants arrested on a specificContinue reading “Simplicity in a World of Excess – John 12:1-8”
The Three Prodigals – Luke 15:11-32
This is the sermon from last week. prodigal 1 spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant : prodigal habits die hard. 2 having or giving something on a lavish scale : the dessert was crunchy with brown sugar and prodigal with whipped cream. See note at profuse. This was broken into three scenesContinue reading “The Three Prodigals – Luke 15:11-32”
Gathering in Light 