I love Anne Lamott. I have a spiritual crush on her because she says things about prayer like this: Prayer is taking the chance that against all odds and past history, we are loved and chosen, and do not have to get it together before we show up. The opposite may be true: We may not be able to get it together until after we show up in such miserable shape. That’s all anyone really needs to know about Anne L ...

Suzanne, As I lead us into this final installment of this blogalogue, I’m feeling a lot like our protagonist Bill. He never would have thought, under any circumstances, that he would have kissed his ex-girlfriend’s best friend. That would break so many social rules. And yet, put him in the right – or wrong – situation and…BOOM! He’s locking lips with the Forbidden One on the Kiss Cam at a Dodgers game. I’m ...

Watching sports is not as much fun as it used to be. I blame Jesus for that, because he just had to say, “Love thy enemy.” Or, as Chad Gibbs puts it in the title of his fantastic book on spirituality and sports, “Love thy Rival.” Here’s an example of how Jesus ruined sports for me. The University of Louisville and the University of Michigan will face off tonight in the final game of the NCAA men’s basketbal ...

In this Rob is writing about those transcendent moments, those awesome moments when we get a glimpse of the magnitude of the universe and our very, very small place in it...and the inconceivably generous grace that is communicated in the midst of our smallness. This is the kind of vision that he desires for us. This is how he wants us to experience the with-ness of God. God is with us. ...

Which leads us back to Johnny and June. During the darkest moments of his life, June reflected the unconditional love and grace of God to Johnny; but Johnny had to choose whether or not he would receive June’s love. He had to decide whether or not he was worthy of that love. Fortunately... ...

It was a proud moment in the Ericksen household. The five of us sat down for lunch and my six-year-old Boy said, Let’s pray. This is every pastor’s dream. Usually I have to coerce people into prayer. Now my Boy is offering to pray. With great pride and a smile on my face I said, Yes my Son. Will you lead us in prayer? He took a pensive moment and agreed. We bowed our heads, closed our eyes, and then … this ...

For Benedict, the Christian axiom that God is love means that you are the object of God’s love. You are loved more than you will ever know. Benedict knew the urgency of this message. “In a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence, this message is both timely and significant...” ...

It’s true that our devotion to our sports teams can be a little over the top. So, it’s in the spirit of "Love thy Rival" that I offer you this countdown of the 5 things to think about while watching the Super Bowl... ...

(Sermon delivered on January 20, 2013 at the First Congregational Church of Wilmette, UCC. The sermon text was John 2:1-12.) Throughout human history, we have done a very peculiar thing. We humans have had a tendency to associate God or the gods with … wine. That’s interesting, you may be thinking, but why should anyone care? I’m going to try to answer that question by telling you two stories. These stories ...

“Guns are why we’re free in this country, and people lose sight of that when tragedies like this happen.” Scott Ostrosky, Newtown resident, owner of informal shooting range, as quoted in the New York Times. “We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change.” President Obama, speaking at a Newtown, CT prayer vigil In the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, CT on Friday, w ...