Anabaptist and Quaker essays, sermons, and other writings
In Junior High, I played tenor saxophone. The main reason I chose the tenor saxophone (apart from the fact there were too many alto saxophone players already) was saxophones are the instruments of jazz, and I liked jazz. In 7th grade I sat next to another tenor sax player who […]
A lone tree stands in the middle of a field. Can you picture it? Old, crooked, large branches to offer shade. Green in summer, empty in winter. Its sole purpose is to offer some relief from the sun. Maybe it has seen picnics come and go, lazy cows, or rambunctious […]
For the last 8 months, I have been engaging in a daily ritual of prayer and worship with the Iona Community. The Iona Community is an international, ecumenical Christian movement based on the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland. The community was founded in 1938 by Reverend […]
There was a time I spoke about Christian’s attitude towards work to high school students. So, in the introduction, I asked the students to get tools for work and go out to the field to cut the grass. Before I finished giving them instructions on what we were supposed to […]
Metaphors and figures of speech are not just the tools of poets, but the fabric of our everyday life. In the previous sentence alone I employed two different metaphors to talk about metaphors (i.e. tools and fabric). We use linguistic images all the time, often without realizing it, and we […]
In just under a month, we will celebrate another Earth Day. Many of us associate the formation of Earth Day on April 22, 1970, with Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin. But did you know that the original concept for Earth Day was developed by a man who grew up a […]
A few years ago when my children were small, a Moms and Tots group would meet in our church building. Being one of the pastors of the congregation, sometimes it was just nice to drop my kiddo off and return to the office for a few uninterrupted hours of work. […]
Many things come into mind when one thinks about Joy. For instance, when a baby is born, when someone passes an exam, during graduation, weddings, or even when victory comes your way, and many more. It is a time in life when someone feels something good or fulfilling has happened […]
In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul speaks of the different spiritual gifts that are given to build up the body of Christ. I submit that the gift of tears, and the profound and visceral experience of love and grace that it often expresses, is one such gift. […]
This month marks six months into my first pastorate. As I continue to settle into my new role as Co-Pastor at Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren and integrate myself into different aspects of the city, I am constantly reminded that there is never a dull moment in urban ministry. […]