God Is a Nag! (Sermon for Proper 24c, October 21, 2007)

What is this parable about? Jesus told this parable to his disciples “about their need to pray always and not lose heart;” at least that’s what Luke tells us this parable is about. But I’m not so sure this is a parable about prayer.
Does Jesus really mean that we are supposed to nag God? Is [...]

Church Pledges, Tithes … Dreams

This is that time of year that I am sure most clergy like just about as much as having a tooth pulled without anesthesia; it is that season when we endure the annual campaign to get parishioners to pledge their financial support of the church for the coming year.
Members of my parish will soon be [...]

Simple Truths

I want to make it perfectly clear that I don’t endorse whatever it is these people are selling … but I think the video they begin their site with is well worth seeing.  I wish the church could be like this grocery store … and that more Christians would be like Johnny!

Kansas to Kenya: Engaging God’s Mission

This video was put together about the visit to Kenya of a mission group from the Diocese of Kansas.  My son was a part of the group; he’s the young man with the bushy reddish beard.
It is posted on YouTube.

Get Going! Sermon for October 14, 2007

The following is the sermon I will preach tomorrow (Sunday, October 14, 2007):
The experience of being a candidate for the episcopate is over. Episcopalians in Nevada selected another nominee and so the journey for Evelyn and me is ended. It was a good journey, a voyage of discovery. We learned things about [...]

What’s My Spiritual Type?

A friend suggested I take this test hosted at the Methodist publishing company Upper Room’s website.  It’s supposed to answer the question, “What’s your spiritual type?”  So I took it.  Here’s what it said:
You are a Sage, characterized by a thinking or head spirituality. You value responsibility, logic, and order. Maybe that’s why you were [...]

Nevada Episcopal Election

This is what I had posted on my parish website:
The election of a bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, in which Fr. Funston was nominee, resulted in the call of the Very Rev. Dan Edwards of Macon, Georgia, to assume that post, succeeding the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts-Schori, who left Nevada in 2006 when [...]

Prophetic Book Titles?

I was sitting in our parish library eating lunch with my wife  …. we do this nearly everyday – she takes her lunch hour from work, drives through McDonald’s and picks up a couple of their grilled chicken Caesar salads, and joins me at the church office.
Anyway … I was sitting in the library eating lunch [...]

We are worthless slaves.

Today is the 19th Sunday after Pentecost. In the Revised Common Lectionary, the Gospel lesson for today is Luke 17:5-10:
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the [...]

Raga Nostalgia (revisited)

Driving home from the office this morning, I was listening to my favorite “oldies” station and they played a song by The Who entitled We Don’t Get Fooled Again. It was (and still is) one of my favorite rock songs. The lyrics are:
We’ll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And [...]