Last Sunday was the 4th of 13 in my sabbatical time. Each of them is precious to me. Each week I am choosing a place and a way to worship. I’m not a church tourist, hoping to see new things. I’m seeking spiritual experiences. I want to worship. Saturday night Jeanene and I still hadn’t…
December 2002 I get up way before daylight and head for church. I open up the joint. I putter around and straighten hymnals. I make ready. I preach the sermon 3 or 4 times. I talk to myself. I talk to God out loud. I light candles and pray. Sometimes I throw a nerf football…
This article was written for Salon.com in January of 2006. I don’t think they paid me anything. We Salon bloggers were the hungry ferocious writers, rising from the masses. Traditional print media both feared us and realized they could get some free writing if they offered a little hope or even just a hint of…
Things are pretty quiet in the mountain town of Creede, Colorado. You will not find fast food or fast living there. If you want someone to package your entertainment and provide it with instructions, you should probably go elsewhere. Nothing is franchised in Creede, not the stores or even the churches. It’s the mountain way.…
Things have been unpredictable around here. Charlie died, as you know. My friend Tom called to tell me his life is falling apart, and I found a Superball at church. It has a chunk gouged out of it so it bounces funny. They do say these things come in threes. Perhaps I should explain about…
Saul was dressed in an expensive, imported robe. He was obviously a wealthy man. His hair gleamed and was heavy with Persian oil. His beard was trimmed short in a manner that was trendy among local Romans. He wore expensive jewelry, including a number of rings. One of them bore the mark of King Herod…
At some point you are going to face a new decade of life that depresses the hell out of you. For me that was 50. 30 was sobering but I had a toddler, the first of three, and who has time to worry about your age? Same with 40. My kids were 12, 8, and…
A Real Live Preacher Dramatized Version of the story from John’s gospel commonly known as “The Woman Caught in Adultery.” It’s been many years since I wrote one of these. Let me take a moment to explain them. I took the original text, then grappled with interpretive issues. I would create a dramatic account that…
People like the idea of getting to the bottom of things. It suits our human desire for stability. We don’t like floundering in high water or high ideals without some purchase we can feel with our feet or hands or minds. Worldviews and paintings should be hung on strong nails sunk deep into the meat…
Background: When RealLivePreacher.com (the book) was published, I created nine essays that were unique to the book. They were never online. My editor said, “Why don’t you write something about prayer? It feels like that’s missing in your body of work.” So that’s where these two essays found their life. Why Don’t You Write Something…