Go Back Home! by Samuel Son On July 14, our president tweeted to American citizens, “Go back home.” I’m Korean American. I came to America with my parents as a seven-year-old and I’m familiar with those taunts. They’ve been hurled at me multiple times in various forms. I want to share two of… Read more »
September 3, 2019
Gospel and Inclusivity
Go Back Home! by Samuel Son On July 14, our president tweeted to American citizens, “Go back home.” I’m Korean American. I came to America with my parents as a seven-year-old and I’m familiar with those taunts. They’ve been hurled at me multiple times in various forms. I want to share two of… Read more » 
Don’t Just Inform … Form Are we stuck in informational churches? by N. Graham Standish “Yes! This is what’s missing in the church. This is what I’ve been seeking.” It was my first year of doctoral studies in spirituality. I was immersed in the spiritual classics course, a three-semester deep dive into the writings of Christian… 
Hopeful Yellow Flowers Meeting Mullein by Ken Rummer Velvet leaves shaped like elf ears mount up to a thick spike on which small yellow flowers bloom. I take a picture with my phone. It’s a new plant to me, and growing right beside the trail. Later, I notice others like it on the bank behind… 
Words on Wings Tracks In Mud by Ken Rummer Scrabble tiles and a stuffed bird. The museum plaque identifies the artist as Phil Parker. I’m looking at an assemblage of objects presented in a shadowbox, and yes, that is a bird in there, and Scrabble letters. The wooden tiles stand at attention on two… 
Stop telling them what you believe… Tell them why you believe by N. Graham Standish I was knee-deep into listening on the phone to a potential church visitor when I had a sudden insight: We keep telling people WHAT we believe. What we really need to do is tell them WHY we believe. The man… 
Sunshine and holy sparkles Seeing with the help of partly cloudy by Ken Rummer Pools of light dapple the landscape, and the shaded places, dark by contrast, add drama to the view. I’m looking out at the ordinary magnificence of a partly cloudy day. Sunbeam and cloud shadow slow dance across the scene, turning a… 
Sabotaging with hope by N. Graham Standish “Tim, will you please stop sabotaging this meeting with hope?!” I couldn’t stifle my guffaw as a clergy client shared his recent finance committee experience. Incredibly, it’s what a committee member yelled at him before walking out of the meeting. Tim has been leading his church through revitalization… 
God is good Yes, but God is definitely not safe. By Rebecca Crow Lister Several months ago, I had the pleasure of purchasing a used copy of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis. Bargain hunter that I am, I was thrilled, as it is it was only $3.50. It is my favorite… 
Splashdown at graveside A cautionary tale by Ken Rummer It had been a particularly wet spring, and clouds again threatened rain as we arrived at the cemetery. An arched-top tent marked the gravesite, just down the hill. I took my position at the back of the hearse. The pallbearers assembled and, after a few… 
Transforming worship from third person to first person Do we care what people are experiencing in worship? by N. Graham Standish What’s the most taboo topic in ministry, that one topic that neither pastors nor members like to talk about? Transforming worship. Failing to transform our worship is the main cause for our decline….