Ponderings on a Faith Journey

I think we're all a bit awe-struck by celebrities. Perhaps we would like to be celebrities ourselves. But in an age of crassness and division maybe there are other exemplars. They may not be saints, but they are people who can teach us to look down, to become grounded, to care for others. They might be people like Saint Phocas or the recently deceased Jean Vanier. I know of Jean Vanier because Henri Nouwen left the world of academia to serve those with disabilities at an L'Arche community founded by Vanier. Martin Marty reflects on being grounded and Vanier's legacy in this Sightings essay. I invite you to read, reflect, and if desired, share a word.
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Acts 11:1-18 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
11 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled …

WORDS THAT HEAL: Preaching Hope to Wounded Souls (The Artistry of Preaching Series). Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2019. Xv + 122 pages.

Some Sundays, the task of preaching is rather easy. The text and the context are joyous. Everything is great! Praise the Lord! But such is not the case every Sunday. More often than we would like (speaking as a preacher), the text and the context poses a challenge. Something in the text or context is traumatic, and we must attend to the wound. It is not easy. We may not have the words handy. Often, it seems, the traumatic event occurs even as we are finishing the week's sermon (or perhaps it occurs after we’ve gone to bed on Saturday evening). Now, it seems, we must turn on a dime and offer words that comfort and heal. It might be something that happens some distance away, perhaps in a foreign land, but it has a universal impact. On the other hand, it could also be something that occurs within the congregation or in the local community. Whatever is …

The season of Ramadan, which is the Muslim month of fasting, began on Monday. I am not given to fasting, but I honor the dedication that is demonstrated by Muslims across the world to refrain from food and drink, and other pleasures, during the daylight hours for nearly a month. In recent years I've made numerous friendships with Muslims, thus have been invited to share in a variety of festivals and events, including Iftar dinners. In fact, this year marks fourth year that my congregation, Central Woodward Christian Church, will be co-hosting with the Turkish American Society of Michigan an Iftar Dinner. It is a distinctly interfaith/inter-religious event that is offered to the congregation and to the broader community. My feeling is, the more we share in such events the more we break down barriers. It is not that we agree on matters of theology. We do, however, agree to each other's full humanity, which is the gift of the Creator.
This weekend, I've been invited to two Ift…

On Saturday, May 4, two Christian thought leaders died. Rachel Held Evans and Colin Brown were born fifty years apart, but both have proven influential over the course of their lives. I am going to write a personal remembrance of Colin, but first I want to take note of Rachel Held Evans' passing.
Rachel Held Evansdied tragically at the young age of thirty-seven, leaving behind a husband, two young children, and numerous people whose lives she has influenced in her short life through her books, speaking appearances, blog posts, and tweets. While I  have added a couple of her books to my kindle library, I've yet to read them. I've been meaning to do so, but since I have a stack of review books to go through, and for some reason I've not been provided review copies of her books, I've not given them their due attention. i have followed her on twitter and have read an occasional blog post. The many remembrances offered by people I respect demonstrates her abiding influen…

ROOTS & ROUTES: Calling, Ministry, and the Power of Place. By Randy G. Litchfield. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2019. Xii + 179 pages.


When we think of calling and ministry we often think in terms of clergy. Since I am numbered among that clan, I understand why we do this. Clergy are typically asked about their sense of call when they go before a commission on ministry or some other body tasked with helping persons discern whether they should pursue vocational ministry. While this is all true, it is not just clergy who are called to ministry. The question then is, whether one feels a call to ordained ministry or what is often called lay ministry, how do you discern the call? Here is the question that guides this particular book: how does context figure into this conversation? What does place have to do with it?
Typically, at least until the advent of online seminary education, it was assumed that if one felt the call to ministry, one headed off to seminary. At least this was true in…