Happy Birthday, church! Today is Pentecost, the day when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit coming to the early church. To me, it’s one of the most exciting days of the church year, right up there with Easter and Christmas. It’s a huge celebration, a party. There is much to be thankful for […]
The Age of the Spirit Read More »
We are finishing our two-part series on “Spiritual Spring Cleaning” this week. Last week we talked about how our material possessions can weigh us down and we considered how “living lighter” might affect is spiritually. This week we are going to continue with that, but instead of thinking about the possessions that weigh is down, we
Sermon Remix: Spiritual Spring Cleaning II Read More »
“I came by your office, but you weren’t there…” Yep! For awhile I’ve been thinking about all of my amazing colleagues in ministry and all of the ways they are out in the world healing, caring, advocating, spreading good news. Where’s your pastor? Here are just a few places he or she might be! I
Why Your Pastor Isn’t In… #notinmyoffice Read More »
If a flood came and washed away everything you owned, or a fire burned every single possession in your home to the ground, what would you miss the most? I remember about 6 years ago Elias and I were on a short term Presbyterian Disaster Assistance work project to help some folks in Iowa who
Sermon Remix: Spring Cleaning Part 1 Read More »
I’m so excited to be offering two new printables, one for family use, and one for personal use. The Faith Jar is easy to use… here are the instructions: Designed for Ages 5 + Materials: This printable, a glass jar & scissors Time Investment: Varies, but most of these practices can be done in 5-10
How do people answer the question “How are you?” “Fine”, or “good,” Am I right? After that, what do you think the next most popular answer is? I think it’s busy. It’s almost like a reflex. How are you? Busy. The thing about busy as an answer (and I’m just as guilty of this as
Sermon Remix: Sabbath as Relinquishing Control Read More »
Today Northwood was incredibly fortunate to have the Wartburg Choir visit us. The number of choir members was approximately equivalent to the number of other worshippers. The choir was full of energy, grace, and (most importantly) voices that moved us all to tears. The recording of Give Me Jesus, is currently playing on repeat in my
Sermon Remix: The Hailstorm & Wartburg College Read More »
This week I saw photos and video of the earthquake in Japan and it gave me a little bit of pause. Though the hailstorm San Antonio experienced is not even close to being in the same category of disaster, I couldn’t help but think about the common protective instinct that parents have for their children, whether it’s
Things I Thought About After the Hailstorm: Children and Disaster Read More »
One of the most helpful things anyone ever said to me about Sabbath keeping is that Sabbath keeping should be thought of in terms of smaller parts of a larger whole. Just as we strive to take a Sabbath day out of our week, perhaps we can take a Sabbath week out of our year.
Practicing Sabbath for One, Three or Five Minutes — 30 Ideas Read More »
To: Ms. Vanessa Crum ([email protected]) From: Rev. Traci Smith, San Antonio, TX RE: Karnes Residential Facility . Dear Ms. Crum, I write to express my grief that your department is considering granting a license to the Karnes Family Detention facility, and to urge you to consider the implications of this. If you grant a childcare
Regarding the Licensing of Karnes Detention Center as a Childcare Center Read More »
