Belief isn't always easy.
But this much I have learned,
if not enough else—
to live with my eyes open.
~ Mary Oliver
Unscripted Praise - November 26, 2017
“… deliver it, early now, long before death.
Give beauty back,
beauty, beauty, beauty, back to
God, beauty’s self and beauty’s giver.”
~ Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889)
Taking Risks- November 19, 2017
“And Christ still sends me roses. We try to be formed and held and kept by him, but instead he offers us freedom. And now when I try to know his will, his kindness floods me, his great love overwhelms me, and I hear him whisper, Surprise me.”
~ Ron Hansen, Mariette in Ecstasy
JOSEPH: A Life of Many Colors - Learning to Say Thanks and Yes - November 12, 2017
"Days pass and the years vanish and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing. Let there be moments when your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk. Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns, unconsumed. And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness and exclaim in wonder, 'How filled with awe is this place and we did not know it.'"
~ Jewish Sabbath Prayer
JOSEPH: A Life of Many Colors - Choosing Forgiveness - November 5, 2017
“The most characteristic feature of the humility of Jesus is his forgiveness and acceptance of others. By contrast, our non-acceptance and lack of forgiveness keep us in a state of agitation and unrest. Our resentments reveal that the signature of Jesus still is not written on our lives. The truest sign of union with the crucified Christ is our forgiveness of those who have perpetrated injustices against us. Without acceptance and forgiveness, the dark night will be only that. The bottom line will be a troubled heart.”
~ Brennan Manning
JOSEPH: A Life of Many Colors - Rising to Your Purpose - October 29, 2017
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and godo it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
~ Howard Thurman (1899-1981)
JOSEPH: A Life of Many Colors - The Other Side of “Splat” - October 22, 2017
October 22, 2017 Text: Genesis 39:1-23
JOSEPH: A Life of Many Colors - Dreams and Devastations - October 15, 2017
October 15, 2017 Text: Genesis 37:2-28
Jesus and the American Dream - October 8, 2017
October 8, 2017 Text: Matthew 21:33-43
The Table - October 1, 2017
October 1, 2017 Text: Luke 22:7-20
Gospel for Outsiders - September 24, 2017
September 24, 2017 Text: Acts 15:1-11
Swallowed by Love - September 17, 2017
The book of Jonah is about a God of infinite love and mercy, infinite patience and a pretty good sense of humor, too. A God who can use anyone to do a great thing. This story invites us to pray that God's purpose, which is wonderfully big, will swallow us and take us where we need to go: to do what we need to do; to say what we need to say; to be the people God longs for us to be.
Jonah 1:1-7, 15-17, 2:10-3:3a
Love and Discernment - September 10, 2017
"If our love had more wisdom in it, what would we be doing differently?" Text: Philippians 1:1-9
The Gift of Silence- September 3, 2017
September 3, 2017 Text: James 3:1-13
The Gospel and Racism: “Who Do You Say I Am?” - August 27, 2017
August 27, 2017 Text: Matthew 16:13-20
The Community of “As Is” - August 20, 2017
August 20, 2017 Text: Colossians 3:12-17
Faith to Leave the Boat - August 13, 2017
“Do you want to know what your “boat” is? Your fear will tell you. Leaving it may be the hardest thing you ever do. But out on the risky waters of faith, Christ is waiting to meet you in ways that will change you forever.“
Text: Matthew 14:22-33
Going to the Mat with God - August 6, 2017
Text: Genesis 32:22-31
All Things…For Good? - July 30, 2017
July30, 2017 Text: Romans 8:28
Learning to Sing - July 23, 2017
July23, 2017 Text: Psalm 86:11-17