Changed for Good
 
First a disclaimer.  There’s a cartoon in the current edition of Christianity Today that I think was created for pastors, or maybe just for me. 
 
Two friends are sitting and enjoying coffee:

 
Now, may I over-spiritualize? Continue reading →

Woodstock, People’s Park and the Call to Follow
 
Last weekend marked the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock, the three-days of “peace and music” that are among the defining events of the now-aging Baby Boom generation. Last May was the fortieth anniversary of Peoples’ Park in Berkeley, California, another event in that decade of discontent.  Next month will mark the fortieth anniversary of the beginning of my college career, not at the Berkeley campus, but at the far more beautiful Santa Cruz campus of the University of California. Continue reading →

Garbage Redemption: Michael Vick and the Gospel of Grace
 
They say that confession is good for the soul, so I will start there.  I must confess that I was watching the Steelers beat the Cardinals when I heard the news.  The Philadelphia Eagles had signed Michael Vick to a two-year contract.  My first thought was that it’s not all that bad being a Steelers fan. 
 
This morning I hit the websites and read the news and the comments in the columns.  I cast my vote.  I listened to what Andy Reid had to say. I’m big on second chances, too, but in this case… Continue reading →

Mission in the Global Village
 
Our Mission Committee met this past Monday and among the discussion items was an update on our work with Promised Land Ministries in Guatemala.  Most of you know that the work of our mission teams has been centered on the invaluable and irreplaceable service of our LPC physicians in the make-shift clinics organized by PLM in the villages along the shore of Lake Atitlan.  Team members also staff the pharmacy that travels with the clinic and provide programs for children at the clinic or in the villages.  And often some of our folks serve on construction teams helping with building the school or mission center in San Lucas. Continue reading →

Semi-Pelagian Economics: Cash for Clunkers, Rebates and Redemption
 
The two big stories on this morning’s news sites have to do with the Beer Summit at the White House and the extraordinary popularity of the Cash for Clunkers provision of the Stimulus Program.
 
As to the Beer Summit, as much or more is being said about the selected suds as racial reconciliation (including the lead story in our own Courier Times and a piece from the Chicago Sun-Times that asks “What Would Jesus Brew?”) Personally, I’m disappointed in the president’s choice of Bud Light, but will add no other pastoral comment.  Continue reading →