I recently came across a series of questions that I believe are an excellent summary of the teaching we’ve encountered in the book of James. I hope you will join me in prayerfully reflecting on these during the month of…
Pastor’s Column
The Violence Within
Around 9:15 PM on July 4th, I was leaving Swedish Covenant Hospital when I found myself in the middle of one of the loudest celebrations of our nation’s birthday that I can remember. All sorts of high grade fireworks were…
A Report from Detroit
It’s been a few weeks since I last wrote my “more or less weekly” column. Over that time, much has happened in our world, most prominently the June 14th attempted murders of Republican congressmen practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game….
A Service of Healing
In the Covenant Book of Worship it states: “Healing is primary ministry of the Christian Church. Jesus was known as a healer and sent his disciples out to preach good news, cast out demons, and heal the sick (Mark 6:12-13)….Throughout…
Get to Know…Our Vision
Quick! What’s our church’s vision statement?! Not on the tip of your tongue or in the forefront of your mind? No worries…. You’re not alone. As pastor, I haven’t done a particularly stellar job of reminding us or unpacking for…
We Appreciate You!
National Volunteer Week (also known as Volunteer Appreciation Week) was instituted in the United States by a Presidential proclamation issued by then President Richard M. Nixon in 1974. Its purpose was to honor and celebrate all the many volunteers who…
Partners in Great Work!
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to lead our spring Newcomers/Inquirers’ Class. It is always a joy of mine to explore faith in Jesus Christ with others and to share about our particular expression of the Christian tradition, both…
Why Reading (and Wrestling) with the Old Testament Matters
This past Sunday evening, I dropped in on the Community Bible Study small group that John & Debbie Ranieri host in their home. After feasting on Debbie’s homemade lasagna, the group began to discuss the previous week’s readings from 1st…
Let’s Walk This Road Together
Today (Wednesday, March 1) is Ash Wednesday. Today we begin an intentional journey with Jesus through the cross to the empty tomb. Let’s walk this road together by: Worshipping together on Ash Wednesday tonight at 7:15 PM in our Chapel Daily reading…
How We Read the Bible
Our denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church, believes in the centrality of God’s Word. One of our foundational Covenant Affirmations is the conviction that states that “the Holy Scripture, the Old and New Testament, is the Word of God and the…