For most of the history of the United States, we did not have an official motto. There was, however, one dominant un-official motto. It was a saying so pervasive to our cultural and historic identity that it appeared on our coinage even before our Constitution was written… so widely appreciated that it appeared on the…

Within the scripture texts prescribed by the lectionary of late, as well among some of the song selections, there have been a considerable number of pronouns used to refer to God. For our readings, I have aimed to adjust those pronouns in accordance with our Community Baptist policy of more inclusive language and out of…

The other day on the radio, there was a program about trees. Now I do realize that the fact that I was listening to a radio program about trees says some things about me and about where I am in life, but we’re going to gloss over those realities for the time being. In this…

While most everyone knows today as Halloween or maybe All Hallow’s Eve, today is also a holiday for protestant Christians known as Reformation Day. It is the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his “Ninety Nine Theses” to the Door of the All Saints Church in Wittenberg — now more than 500 years ago. While we…

This past Sunday, I began teaching the Sunday morning class about one of my pet topics: the history of the bible. I am deeply passionate about this book we call “the bible” and how it has been used by God through the ages to impact our lives for good. And so it seemed perhaps a…

This week, something in my life came to an end. I know it’s hard to leave it at that, but seriously: it doesn’t really matter — not for this. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it since then. And I’ve realized some things. I knew the end was coming. I wasted a lot of…

11 September 2025 I remember where I was… how I learned… the disbelief and shock and numbness I felt as things unfolded… Yesterday in 2001 is one of those incomparable tragedies that are seared into memory eternal — may God have mercy. On that day of deepest tragedy, we saw this nation live into who it always promised…

This Sunday, we are going to be starting a new series together. We are going to be looking at some of Jesus’s parables in Luke, but in doing so we are going to realize that they are not the “warm fuzzy” things that some of us may have been taught, but rather “cold prickly” things…

Sixty-two years ago yesterday in Washington D.C., the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered what became known as the “I Have a Dream” speech. This is without a doubt the most famous of all writings and speeches he produced — a veritable American icon. And yet what most of us remember of it is…

Last Sunday we explored the Christian spiritual discipline of worship. And one facet to our worship — or perhaps I should say “aid” to our worship — that I did not even touch on yet is close to my own heart is symbolism. Even before those first followers of the Risen Christ came to separate from the…