Posts Categorized: Uncategorized

justleros: more than nonsense / más que disparates

Come and see A Revised Common Lectionary resource for January 14 by Magdalena I. García Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ – John 1:46 Read the full lectionary passage here Come and see! It’s the challenge that Nathanael from Phillip received and the… Read more »

Barn Boots and Blessings

This Christmas Eve, linger a bit  A little rural church basks in Christ’s light  by Donna Frischknecht Jackson   We had just finished singing Silent Night. The Christmas Eve service was soon to be over and I felt like a child who had just opened the last of her Christmas presents. I was still overjoyed,… Read more »

Thinking Small

Islands of Misfit Toys Lessons from Rudolph for small churches by Sue Washburn A friend of mine once said the church she served was like the Island of Misfit Toys in the Christmas classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. If you remember the story of Rudolph, you know that he was different, set apart from the… Read more »

Barn Boots and Blessings

A different kind of Christmas card   Who is waiting to hear from you?    by Donna Frischknecht Jackson   On my desk sits an index card with the initial “R” written on it in blue marker. I have thrown this index card into the garbage at least three times so far and, so far,… Read more »

Wisdom Journey

To hate ‘hate’ or to love ‘love’… That is the question by N. Graham Standish    A Thought: It’s only as we learn what real love is that we truly recognize hate. And only then do we see how pervasive hate really is, yet even more how powerful love is. We can’t overcome hate by… Read more »

Barn Boots and Blessings

The Christmas prayer tree A rural church reaches out in an unexpected way by Donna Frischknecht Jackson   Silence fell upon the room. A woman at my table waved to the waitress to order another glass of wine. A good diversion on her part, I thought. Others around me glanced down at the meeting agenda,… Read more »

Unglued Church

There’s Something About Mary Singing her song in the season of  #metoo and #churchtoo by Susan Rothenberg Like most good Presbyterians, I had a weird relationship with Mary as I was growing up. She showed up in Protestant churches for nanosecond during the Advent/Christmas season. I barely noticed her fleeting presence in the nativity scene… Read more »

Thinking small

Cloudy vision The inscrutable, unpredictable call of God By Sue Washburn I’m rarely accused of having my head in the clouds. I’m not the daydreaming, stare off into space sort. I feel most comfortable when I know what to expect in my day. I use my phone’s calendar app keep me on track. I get… Read more »

Wisdom Journey

Falling in love with God  What is Christian spirituality? by N. Graham Standish    A Thought: What is Christian spirituality? It’s very simple: falling in love with God so we can love others and ourselves. The moment we fall more in love with the Bible, the church, spiritual practices, worship, theology, or anything else that… Read more »

The Unglued Church

Can We Talk About Sexism? In #metoo conversations, the church can do better by Susan Rothenberg   Here’s a statistic that you may or may not find startling. A study by PC(USA) Research Services in 2016 revealed 84% of female teaching elders have experienced discrimination, prejudice or harassment based upon their gender. Yet, 48% of male… Read more »