In the Valley of the Shadow
Mark Schloneger
“Jesus wept.” Jesus wept. That’s it. “Jesus wept” is the verse that I’d blurt out when I was asked by my childhood Sunday school teachers to share scripture that I had memorized. A little smart-alecky, I know, a sad part of my checkered history. And to you children’s Sunday school teachers who are watching, all […]
We’re Blind
Dan Schrock
These days, we are blind. We really, really wish it were not so. But in truth, right now we are all blind people. Up until 2 or 3 weeks ago, most of us had established, predictable, and comfortable lives. We got out of bed, dressed, and went off to work or school or whatever else […]
The Call of the Midwife
Mark Schloneger
We are respectable people, right? We dress respectably. We act respectably. We speak respectably. We’re well-read, well-known, well-connected. well-adjusted, well-intentioned, well-informed, well-groomed, and, if we must say so ourselves, well-respected. We’re respectively respectably reputable.
Just as I am
Joanne Gallardo
As I have said in previous sermons, I love angry Jesus. As an Enneagram 8 (and if you’re wondering about the Enneagram, just wait, because we have a Sunday School series starting up this week about it), I see so much of myself in angry Jesus. Most of this stems from my “Am I the […]
Good Body
Mark Schloneger
Well, it’s time to address the elephant in the room: Shakira, J.Lo and the Super Bowl halftime show. Now, I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say, “I haven’t thought about that for two weeks,” or, “I never thought about it at all,” or, “I don’t want to think about it again.” […]
A Taste and a Glimpse
Mark Schloneger
As soon as Nancy Pelosi ripped up the pages of the State of the Union, the Twitterazzi went to work. Some were filled with delight, loving that open display of defiance to a President’s troubling behavior and policies. Others were filled with outrage. It was disrespectful, they said, a sign that those others are more […]
Empathy, Vulnerability, and Immanuel
Joanne Gallardo
Back when I worked as a case manager, Brene Brown came into my consciousness with her work on empathy. Empathy was talked about so much in our social work circles, in fact, that we often made jokes about it. Empathy is a learned skill, we were told. Empathy is learning another’s world view. As Brene […]
Good, Fallen, Redeemed
Dan Schrock
The other day I went grocery shopping at Kroger. Into my cart went strawberries and a pineapple, carrots and broccoli, onions and garlic, dried small red beans, oatmeal, milk and yogurt, and a score of other food stuffs in bags, packages, cans, and cartons. I’ve shopped at Kroger for about 27 years, and when I […]
Come and See
Mark Schloneger
I have climbed the highest mountains I have run through the fields Only to be with you Only to be with you. I have run, I have crawled I have scaled these city walls These city walls Only to be with you But I still haven’t found What I’m looking for. But I still haven’t […]
Where the Dove Went
Mark Schloneger
“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all. (Emily Dickinson) Genesis, chapter 1. In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of […]
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