No Failure in the Kingdom of God

The following post was written as a contribution to the October synchroblog series Down We Go. It is cold outside, winter is definitely on its way and I am starting to think about how to wind down the garden before the end of the year.  Part of that process is thinking about what worked and [...]

9/11 – Ten Years Later

Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.  It is a day to look back and mourn the loss of life, the horror of aggression and the agony that all of us experienced in the aftermath of this terrible event.  But it is a time too to reflect on how these events [...]

Christchurch Bishop fears her clergy face “exhaustion of spirit” following tremors

I am now back to Seattle after a trip to Australia for my mother’s 88th birthday.  It was a wonderful trip, but the images coming out of Christchurch New Zealand where I once lived have tinged my memories with sadness and my heart is aching for the dear people of this city who have just [...]

A Season for Grief and Sorrow

My prayer this morning is dedicated to Tim Herzog, who died in a Hong Kong hospital this morning. A couple of days ago Tim who is the 10 year old nephew of MSA staff member Andy Wade fell from a parking building in Hong Kong where he was playing.  This morning surrounded by his family [...]

Where is God In the Midst of Disaster?

This last Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at Kern Rd Mennonite Church in Indiana.  It was the first week of Lent and the theme they had chosen for the season was “Restore to me the joy of my salvation” from Psalm 51. Initially I struggled.  How can I talk about joy while grieving [...]

Gratitude: A tribute to a Friend

Yesterday when I wrote my post Grieve with those that Grieve, I had no idea how close to home that would come.  I heard last night that a dear friend of mine was killed in the Christchurch quake.  He was working out in his garden when a rock from the nearby cliff fell on him. [...]

Grieving with those that Grieve

This morning my heart is aching and I find myself grieving for all the pain and suffering ones of the world. Last night there was an earthquake in Christchurch NZ where I once lived.  At least 65 people have been killed and many more injured.  What seems just as horrible is that the Christchurch cathedral, [...]

Memorial Day – Who Do We Remember

Today is Memorial day in the United States, when we remember those who have died in military service.  It was first celebrated to remember Union soldiers who died in the American Civil War but now provides a memorial for those who have died in all the wars that have been fought since. Though I struggle [...]

Living into the Hope of the Resurrection – Christ has Conquered Death

I have never been as conscious of the incredible hope of the Easter message as I have been this last.  It seems that death and resurrection are intertwined everywhere I look and I realize how desperately I need to celebrate not just Easter Sunday but this whole Easter season.  I have very definitely needed the [...]

Another Good Friday Prayer

God who created us Suffers because of us god who died upon the Cross suffers for us God who dwells within us Suffers with us And in God’s suffering we find hope God, our suffering God Your story brings us salvation Without you the horrors of human suffering Would be unbearable Your story of life, [...]