e-Soundings

Unspoken Prayers... the most powerful prayers of all.

"A “contemplative prayer” moves away from memorized lines and various grammatical forms to a deep and peaceful absence of all the thoughts that are usually whirling and careening around my head. Contemplative prayer encourages deep quiet. Contemplative prayer encourages me to set aside all my thoughts and speculations and simply listen." Read more →

Why doesn’t the “Easter High” last? ...................Maybe we can change that?

“Every morning is Easter Morning” (by Avery & Marsh) is a song that proclaims the gospel like no other. It's sings out the reality that Easter is now every day. Death is no more. This is the Good News that... Read more →

Are you Sidestepping the Apocalypse? (...for a "nice" Jesus?)

Do you shy away from the passages that talk of destruction and death, wars and rumors of war, of stone falling away from stone and walls destroyed, of earthquakes and famine? Every year in November, we end the Lectionary year... Read more →

The 21st Century "Tsunami": Church survival with an "Ancient/Future" solution... (pt. 2)

Seven things you and your congregation can do after the quarantine. Last week in this Blog, we explored eleven major, profound changes and one foundational societal shift as part of the “Tsunami of Issues” battering us from every side. They were grouped into three areas:  Digital/Tech/Knowledge Revolution, Personal/Family Struggles and Social/Political/Global Issues.                   (Read that Blog here.) Such times of overwhelming crisis have faced us before.  The church in particular, and “religion” in general, have offered a place to stand, some “holy ground” on which to gain a new identity and to be renewed in God’s Holy Spirit. It is from these ancient roots that the “new” solutions to our challenges will arise... Read more →

Is your church ready for recovery? ...or is it bed-ridden........?? (pt 3 of 3 on Post-Covid Worship)

Gather your Core group, ...your most faithful leadership... to Study and discuss: (By Zoom or in person) “Can our Church be Re-born After Covid?” A Plan of action for Church Leadership (#3 of 3 articles) Set aside two hours with... Read more →

Easter is Vanishing...

This Easter, I listened to many preachers and worshipping congregations proclaim “He is Risen!"  I heard leaders pleading for enthusiasm, and people weakly responding.  They sung familiar words such as: “Love’s redeeming work is DONE!”, ...”made like him, LIKE  HIM WE RISE.”,  “Easter People, raise your voices, SOUNDS OF HEAVEN in earth should ring...”, and “ALL CREATION IS REBORN!” But they all rang hollow as we all returned to our daily struggle hours and days later. What the Easter hymns were proclaiming was a total, radical transformation not just of us, but of all creation!  Read more →

What's in a #?............. #unconditonallove .......... #gracefulforgiveness.... #eternallovenow ............. #radicalservice

Hashtags are one word "tag lines" that reveal a special handle for web content. In this "Agapé Season" of our lives, Joanne and I have identified these four words as "words" to live by. They express the basic Christian outlook,... Read more →

Living with Christ in our super-sized "Gutenberg Moment"

We are living in a "Gutenberg Moment"* that dwarfs other such moments by it’s breath-taking power to change life on earth. In the past, such moments end up disrupting everything. Nothing is the same. Everything before is changed. The digital... Read more →

Have you ever tasted heaven? # I see a new Church

Now is a true revolutionary time to proclaim the radical, transforming, heavenly, unconditional love of Jesus Christ, spoken and lived in ways that invites everyone to come home. Read more →

What is the "Gospel", the "Good News" of Jesus Christ?

We're self-centered enough to think that if only we're good enough we'll be in love and with our loved ones forever. But we know deep down that no matter how hard we try, we're never really good enough. We all... Read more →