A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho. May 12, 2018 Philippians 2:1-13 As many of you know, I’ve been getting to know birth family the past 4 years. So much of it has been blessing upon blessing. And even the part that has been difficult has been better than the alternative of…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church April 29, 2018 Acts 17:22-31 I love this story. I love the idea of people arguing over ideas, and debating differences. I know not everyone shares my enjoyment of disagreement. I know many people prefer an absence of conflict. There was, and is, however, a tradition in Judaism…
Acts 16:12-40 A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho April 22, 2018 Last week, we heard the story about how Saul, or Paul, as he’s called here, had an encounter with the risen Jesus, and turned his life from being a persecutor of Jesus to an evangelist for Jesus. His preaching would…
The Enneagram is a tool that has helped me more than any other. It recognizes and numbers 9 (“ennea” = “nine”) different personality types and offers a path to understanding, to acceptance, and to transformation. If you’re unfamiliar with the Enneagram, I do not recommend that you take an online test to determine your number.…
A sermon preached at Southminster in Boise, Idaho April 8 2018 John 20:19-31 Today’s passage from John’s gospel tells us that that as soon as the Good News of Mary’s Easter message is shared with the disciples—“I have seen the Lord!”—as soon as they hear those words, we are told that they are hiding in…
A Good Friday Meditation at Southminster Presbyterian Church (we combine our Holy Week services with First Presbyterian. They hosted Maundy Thursday) John’s Crucifixion Narrative (John 19) The story of Jesus’ crucifixion is not an easy story to hear. It is gruesome. Reveals the depravity of humanity, our cruelty and our tendency to be led by…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho March 25, 2018 John 12:1-27 The last time we saw this family, Mary and Martha were in deep grief because their brother Lazarus was three days dead. dead. dead. And Mary and Martha make some great affirmations of faith to Jesus as they talk to…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho March 18, 2018 John 19:1-16a In last week’s episode, Jesus’ trial with Pontius Pilate begins. The religious leaders are looking for someone to do the dirty work of killing Jesus for them. Pilate is more concerned with keeping the peace during the religious holiday of…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho. John 18:28-40 As our story last week ended, right before this passage begins, the cock crowed, reminding Peter of his three denials of Jesus. A rooster crow also indicates morning, which means light is starting to dawn. For John’s gospel, Jesus is the light, and…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho March 4, 2018 John 18:12-27 We began the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday with the story of Jesus as the good shepherd, as the gate for the sheep. Jesus said: “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come…
Glass Overflowing 