“Live the Life” James 1:19-27 I was thirteen years old when a friend invited me on a fishing trip with him and his father. They’d bought a new boat and planned to take it out for the first time. After putting in at the harbor, we trolled around the lake until we found what my friend’s father deemed a suitable fishing hole. He cut the engine and pointed to the anchor lying next to my feet. He said, “Mark, can you do the honors? The anchor weighed about ten pounds and was tied to a thick nylon … [Read more...]
Without Let or Hindrance — A Sermon on Homosexuality and the Christian Faith
Acts 8:26-40 Later this afternoon, United Methodist clergy and laypersons from our Annual Conference will meet in Pasadena with our Bishop, Minerva Carcano, for what is called a time of “Holy Conferencing on Biblical Obedience.” Both Rev. Martha and I will attend, along with several hundred others, as we seek to respond to the growing conflict between our denomination’s policy on homosexuality and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Book of Discipline, which constitutes the official law and … [Read more...]
Out of Your Mind
According to the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus came home for the first time after visiting John the Baptist in the wilderness, his family and friends thought he had lost his mind. “He’s gone crazy,” they said of Jesus. In the Greek, the word is existemi, which means something like, “as mad as a monkey on a tricycle.” John, you may recall, is the guy who reportedly ate locusts and wild honey, and wore clothes made of camel hair. He’s the guy who took on the religious, military, and financial … [Read more...]
The Problem with Good Intentions
I read recently that there are 46 million people who own gym memberships in the United States, yet less than 20% of them actually go to the gym. They buy the shoes, the spandex shorts and sweat pants, the work out towel and water bottle. They carry their gym card around in their wallets, their duffle bag sits in the back seat of the car, and whenever they look in their rear view mirror, they feel pretty good knowing that they belong to a gym. They proudly tell people, “That’s my gym.” And … [Read more...]
The Road Goes Ever On and On
A few years ago I hiked the legendary Half Dome in Yosemite National Park for the first time. Adventurists have been making that 17-mile trek for more than one hundred and thirty-five years. The first person on record to make the ascent was George C. Anderson, who accomplished the feat in 1875. Ever since, Half Dome has become what backpackers call “a must do” hike. On any given summer weekend, it’s estimated that about 1,000 people a day climb their way from the valley floor to the top of … [Read more...]
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