This was incredibly powerful. Preaching through the prophets this summer, I’m continually struck by the demands for justice that are mandated for ALL of us who want to follow God. Care for the vulnerable, the orphans, the poor, the marginalized. The call to lay our power and prestige aside for another because it’s not…
Bible and Newspaper
current event discussion
I am NOT a prophet
In 1908, a mining disaster in Monogah, West Virginia claimed the lives of 361 men. 250 of those men were fathers and nearly one thousand children in the area were suddenly fatherless. And along comes Grace Golden Clayton, a Methodist, who had recently lost her own father. She felt a call to do something, to…
Love, apologies, and prayer breakfasts
I sat in a room filled with hundreds of Christians and felt a little bit like an outsider. This was the second year I’ve attended the Iowa Prayer Breakfast… held every Maundy Thursday in Des Moines. It includes prayers for our state and leaders, music, and a keynote message. On the site, it clearly states…
A Spotlight and a Platform
Martin Shkreli, the man who raised prices on various life-saving drugs purely for profit, testified before Congress recently: What really struck me in this video, was the plea of Mr. Cummings. He lifted up the truth of the impact of Mr. Shkreli’s actions, but did not merely question or shame or condemn him. Instead, he…
Hopes and Fears
Awaiting the Already. As church, we are exploring this book, written by a pastor who served here in Iowa. And he invites us to look at the Christmas story through new lenses. Over four weeks, we pull apart each gospel: Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John, and explore what they have to tell us about how…
Praying for Peace in Honor of our Veterans
This is my song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for lands afar and mine; this is my home, the country where my heart is; here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine: but other hearts in other lands are beating with hopes and dreams as true and high as…
J&MES: Faith & Action
This month in worship, we are going to be focusing on the book of James in the New Testament. It is all the way in the back of our bibles… just after Hebrews and right before a couple of shorter letters that lead into Revelation. This book is actually a letter written by James to…
Two Texts: Privilege and the Beloved Community
In my life, I have been pulled over by a police officer perhaps half a dozen times. One was for a broken taillight and the rest were for speeding. Every single time, my heart rate rose and my palms got sweaty. I was nervous. I felt guilty. I knew I was in trouble. But never,…