Relating, Creating, Transforming
Matthew 21:1-11 NRSV Hey there! It’s been a while. Yes, I’ve been taking a break from things for a while. Call it a sabbatical. And now I’m back, and well–strange times, wouldn’t you say? So welcome back to this strange, hopefully life-giving space. I appreciate you and hope that you still find this blog to […]
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Our week came to an amazing close on Friday. We started with a visit to Bait-ul-Aafiyat Mosque – Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, fast growing international revival movement within Islam. Founded in 1889, it spans over 206 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions. Its current headquarters are in the […]
Read MoreFriday Our week comes to a close today. It’s a packed day! First, a visit to the Islamic Society of Greater Valley Forge for jumu-ah prayers. This particular community is situated close to a Jewish synagogue next door and a Baptist church across the street. This intentional grouping of faith traditions has led to increased […]
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Matthew 22:34-46 What rituals do you have when you wake up each day? What rituals do you have when you go to bed? It is not hyperbole to say that whatever “waking up” habits and “pre-sleep” habits we practice affect our days and how they are lived and experienced. I’m certainly not a morning person […]
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John 7:37-39, Acts 2 Imagine this scenario: You are stranded on a remote island somewhere in the Pacific [no, not Waikiki] and you encounter another person on the island. You are overjoyed that you are not alone, except that both of you speak completely different languages and cannot understand what the other is saying. You […]
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Ezekiel 37:1-10 NRSV Have you ever felt like you were in a place of desolation? In other words, when have you felt hopeless, stranded, parched from thirst, empty? Part of our humanity is in recognizing that we do have these low moments—periods of time when we just don’t know if we can continue living. We […]
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Matthew 5:21-24; 33-37 So many labels. We are named this, that, the other thing. We are told what we are capable of or not capable of. And we bring all of these experiences into our relationships. We bring all of this into community. These labels, these stereotypes—they hinder us from fully expressing ourselves and sometimes […]
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John 14:8-17; 24-27 What is on the inside eventually shows itself on the outside. Have you seen the Pixar movie Inside Out? Many have, but just in case you missed it, Inside Out’s story revolves around a young girl named Riley, who is uprooted from her comfortable Minnesota home when she moves to the […]
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John 17:20-26 We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.[1] Like a sculptor, if necessary, carve a friend out of stone. Realize that your inner sight is blind and try to see a treasure in everyone.[2] If everyone helps to hold up the sky, then one […]
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Isaiah 58:1-12 Isaiah, the prophet says: Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! It’s announcement, but an announcement about hypocrisy. This is often a common issue for religious people—that they say they love God and they claim to do all the right religious rituals and they think themselves to […]
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