Youth Theology is an approach to thinking and talking about God and faith from a youthful perspective. It counts the spiritual and religious experience and insight of young people not as something to be controlled, fixed, but to be listened to and valued. Youth theology seeks to affirm and advocate for young people within the [...]
Continue Reading →Resurrection! Why it makes me blush.
Yesterday we went to the cemetery to visit my mother-in-law who is buried there. As you can imagine it is a difficult place to visit, but it is also beautiful. The Covina Hills Forest Lawn cemetery looks out over the San Gabriel Valley. We went early in the morning and because it wasn’t a holiday, [...]
Continue Reading →Keeping the Earth
Today is a new day. My drive to work is a long one. An hour. I wake up at 5, get on the road at 6, and get to work at 7am. Our Savior’s is in the beach city of San Clemente, CA. This summer has been an odd one for weather. The sky is [...]
Continue Reading →Vacation Bible Camp – more than VBS!
Today marks the beginning of Vacation Bible Camp at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. Camp counselors from Lutheran Retreats Camps and Conferences are here at our church to lead 20 of our children in a week of fun and learning. It is bound to be an exciting and exhilarating week. My job is to help coordinate. [...]
Continue Reading →Free Grace
Phyllis Tickle claims that every 500 years Christianity has a rummage sale. In the 1500′s this was called the Reformation. Today I helped my brother in law with a garage sale. We did pretty good while the wives took the kids to a birthday party. They were clearing out their garage to make room for [...]
Continue Reading →Yarmulkes, Hijabs, and Youth Group T-shirts a Day at Disneyland
Where, in southern California do you go to have the ultimate inter-religious experience? Where do you find hundreds and hundreds of the faithful gathered in peace rubbing shoulders (literally) under the hot sun, and sharing shouts of ecstatic emotional experience? Answer: amusement parks. This week our youth group did what we call: Ultimate Week! It [...]
Continue Reading →Positively Religious
Right now I am proud that I am a student at Claremont School of Theology. There has been lots of positive press lately, that makes me happy and glad to be studying at such a cool place. But it was the front page of the LA Times that really captured my attention today. The story [...]
Continue Reading →Open Source Theology?
Does anyone out there know if there is place on the Internet where resources for ministry are free and open source? Where do you go to find a cool Bible study, children sermon, sermon, devotion, game, activity, service project, worship music, etc? Is there such a place? In my research most sites will give you [...]
Continue Reading →On Denomenationial Love
This American Life consistently makes excellent radio shows. Their podcast is at the top of iTunes popularity, and their journalism is awesome. The episode called, Social Contract, got my attention. It deals with the budget crisis in New York state, a crisis also happening in 48 of the 50 United States. Tax revenue is down [...]
Continue Reading →Gilchrist House
Tonight is a special night. Once a month the ladies of Gilchrist House in San Clemente are gracious enough to open their home to our church. About five or six of us will cook dinner and bring it over. Together we will break bread together, and also share the Word with one another. I’d like [...]
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