Category: Christianity

Christianity, Culture, Life, Uncategorized

Israel Travel Blog Day 2: What Day is This?

We have arrived in Israel. Physically that is. I am so exhausted from the day-long journey from Lexington to Tel Aviv with an extended bus ride to our hotel to know that I am clearly travel weary. I’m exhausted enough that I left behind my reading materials for my next Residency meeting on the plane.

Oops.

Other than forgetting an important book on the plane, the trip to Tel Aviv was fairly uneventful. There were few moments where it seemed like we were on a roller coaster over Europe, but that and not being able to sleep more than about 90 minutes were about the biggest enjoyments of the flight. Continue reading “Israel Travel Blog Day 2: What Day is This?”

Christianity, Culture, Life, Uncategorized

Israel Travel Blog Day 1: Onward to Israel

Today the journey begins. I, along with several others from the Kentucky Annual Conference, will head to Israel for a 10-day pilgrimage. This is an annual excursion for our annual conference and for many it will be a return trip to the Holy Land.

This will be my first time in Israel. For that matter, it will be my first time leaving the United States since 1996.

While I am in Israel, I will offer daily thoughts and observations in this space. I recognize that for many the idea of going to the Holy Land is an “impossible dream,” so I want to share as much as I can about the trip in order for others to experience it for themselves.israel-flag

Today is about traveling and getting ready. Our flight leaves from Lexington this afternoon and, then, from Newark later tonight. We hope to arrive in Tel Aviv sometime around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday (or 9:30 a.m. EST). Since most of the day will be about surviving an 11-hour flight, I thought I would respond to a few of the questions I have received since deciding to go on the trip last year. Continue reading “Israel Travel Blog Day 1: Onward to Israel”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Devotion, Encouragement, Faith, Life, Sermon

Christmas Eve Message: Ordinary Day and Extraordinary Hope

It was just an ordinary day in the City of Bethlehem.

The population, in those days, was around 1,000 people. That is a little more than double the latest Census estimate for Salvisa. All of those 1,000 people and more were gathered in Bethlehem on that day. The people were under the authority of the Roman Empire, which had no problem throwing its weight around. On that particular day, the people under Rome’s authority were required to return to their hometown in order to be counted. This was an ordinary occurrence for the people in Bethlehem, because Rome made it a habit of doing things to reminded people of their authority and power.

It was also an ordinary day for those outside of Bethlehem. Residing around the hillsides outside of Bethlehem were a group of shepherds. The shepherds were doing their job. They were keeping watch of their sheep to make sure they stayed safe from intruders. Shepherds were not the most beloved group of people. Some tolerated them as those who performed a needed task in society, but the people had little use for them. Others viewed them as thieves, because they would do what was needed in order to survive even if it meant taking from others. On that day they were just trying to live and survive. Continue reading “Christmas Eve Message: Ordinary Day and Extraordinary Hope”

Why Do We Worship on Christmas Day?
Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Life, Uncategorized

Why Do We Worship on Christmas Day?

Every five or six years the calendar gives pastors and worship planners a true gift at the Christmas season: Christmas on a Sunday.

It should be a gift, but in all honesty the idea of Christmas on a Sunday makes many pastors, including myself, quiver. The reason is that we know we will spend weeks trying to help people understand why the church is open on Sunday, and why we will worship on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Sunday. Place that within the context of a worshiping movement that argues that the Sunday after Christmas Eve should be a time for family and not for community worship then we are left with questions as to why do we have church on December 25 and not cancel so we can be at home with our family.nativity

This year, I have found that the simple answer of “because it’s Sunday” works as well as when my parents tried to use the response of “because we said so” to one of my many questions as to why I had to do something as a child. It falls flat and is truly dismissive of the larger question that, I believe, many are asking.

I think our people are smarter than we give them credit and are able to have a deep conversation about faith, worship, and theology. So, why do we worship on Christmas Sunday? Why is it so important for the church to be open, this year, on December 25? Continue reading “Why Do We Worship on Christmas Day?”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Encouragement, Faith, Life, Public Theology, Uncategorized

A Reflection for the Church in America

There is a lot of similarity in the moments following a major sporting event, for instance the Super Bowl, and the day after a political election. Following the game, the focus is as much on why a team lost as it is on why a team won.

That begins to happen, in the political world, on the day after the election. It’s the political postmortem that seeks to understand why a candidate lost, especially if a candidate was expected to win convincingly. In the hours after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the conversations have centered on how Clinton lost and what happens from here.

Part of the political postmortem includes an internal conversation of what went wrong and how to respond in time for the next election. It’s an important part of the response to an election that will shape the coming elections. Both the Democratic and Republican parties will participate in that.electionprayer

I hope they will not be alone. I think it is important for the church in America to participate in its own evaluation of what took place during the election, our response, and how we move forward. I say this, because the church has a lot to ponder following the election. This includes both the conservative and progressive wings of the American church. Continue reading “A Reflection for the Church in America”