A couple of weeks ago, I preached a sermon where I quoted statistics about homelessness in our community: In the sermon, I talked about things that break our hearts. These statistics break my heart. After the sermon, one person came up to me and said “Pastor Todd, that sermon…those numbers…they make me really uncomfortable.” And … More The Uncomfortable Church
Every weekday morning, our alarm goes off at 5:30am. After getting up, getting moving, tending to the dog and the cat, I head to the gym. I step onto the treadmill and look at my watch. It is almost always 6:01am as I press the “Start” button. (Or, 6:02am if I’m moving slowly.) I do … More Like Clockwork
Just about every day, Lori and I check the weather apps on our phone. Ok, to be honest, we usually check two of them. We look at the app that tells us the forecast. (Partly cloudy…high of 76…10% chance of precipitation…etc…). Then we also will look at the app that has the radar on it, … More Predicting the Weather
The past two Sundays, I had the opportunity to participate in worship online, from the comfort of our couch at home. First, with Church of the Resurrection, a large Methodist congregation in Kansas City, and then with Lutheran Church of Hope, a large church in Des Moines. My intent had been to worship in person … More Who is our Audience?
I have spent these weeks in my sabbatical trying to listen well. I want to hear God. I want to hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit. I am looking for direction, and wisdom, and guidance. I want these things for our church, and for our family, and for my life. God speaks. I believe … More Listening Well
So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. 1 Corinthians 14:21 Everything has a purpose…a reason…a “why.” The gifts of God, the fruits of the Spirit, are given for a purpose. And as the recipients of these gifts, that … More Gifts that Build
Knee High by the 4th of July On the 4th of July, Lori and I took Kennedy for a walk “around the block.” It’s a long block. A little over a mile. And it takes us past the corn fields that are on Partridge Ave. I commented to Lori that the corn was definitely “knee … More Knee High by the 4th of July
“Resurrected” people are the ones who have found a better way by prayerfully bearing witness against injustice and evil—while also agreeing compassionately to hold their own complicity in that same evil. It is not over there—it is here. It is our problem, not theirs. The Risen Christ, not accidentally, still carries the wounds in his hands and side. The question becomes: … More A better way…
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 We live in a transactional world. We do things because we receive things. We go to work, so that we earn a living We loan someone money, expecting repayment … More What’s Right
“The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take … More Hello, Neighbor
Test Driving Theology 