It is that time of year again when we in the Christian faith will give something up for God as we prepare for Easter. Moderation and fasting are valuable practices that have longterm benefits, but does God really care about whether we have chocolate between now and Easter? In short. No. The prophet Hosea wrote; … More Something Else
“We do not think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking.” – Richard Rohr Over this past weekend my friend Rev. Dr. Mark Mueller of The Outreach Foundation spoke to leaders of my congregation and to people in the community about some staggering realities that this world is … More Trying To Help
A dark cloud gathers on the horizon. Its very presence shrouds our ability to see things clearly. Hope feels like an opiate that we came down from two decades ago and safety a dream from the innocent hours long since past. The petitions of the brokenhearted fill the air, but it feels like they echo … More A Cloud of Darkness, A Dawning Light
Ragged and run down. Sluggish and overwhelmed. What do you mean Summer is almost here? I have too much left to do to get through the school year and didn’t winter just end yesterday? Can you relate? With the pace at which life moves it can feel like the very thing that we crave, rest … More My Dear Friend Peace
The proof of God’s love for us is not the blessing of power, wealth and happiness in this life. That would suggest that what we can convince God that we deserve lives free from suffering, hardship and loss. This thinking leads us to believe that when we experience suffering we are witnessing a failure of … More Proof of God’s Love
Searching for community, a place of belonging. Will they accept me, a sinner of my own creation. I am not all that bad, but then again I am never that good. My façade is only skin deep thinly veiling my brokenness. Searching for community, a place of love. I seek a place that offers more … More Searching for the Found
What will it be like on the other side? Will the path that I walked be fairly straight forward with minimal undulation? Will it appear like a jagged road that crosses back and forth so often that it could serve as stitch work on a wound? I hope that there will be a visible path … More The Other Side
Ash Wednesday is more than giving up something or adding a practice for the season of Lent. It is about taking in a good dose of perspective about life. Here are couple things to consider: 1) You job is not what makes you YOU. If your pursuit of safety and success through your job is … More Ashes put things in perspective
Rev. Shawn J. Smith 