07/27/2023
The Jesus Guilt Cure
When I was in seminary, I remember reading a psychologist who said that guilt is healthy if it lasts no more than five minutes or results in a change of behavior. I put the book down and thought: “Lord, my life is nothing but an onion with layer upon layer of unhealthy guilt.” Later on, I read a theologian who said that guilt is destructive to the soul unless it is first openly and completely confessed to God and then taken to the one we have offended to confess again and ask for their forgiveness. Again, I despaired when thinking of all the people in my past I would have to seek out and make amends to.
Guilt that lingers, regret that nibbles around the edges of our thoughts are termites to the soul. It is to be chained to the past when Jesus tells us to do all we can to focus on the here and now. There isn't anything Jesus can’t forgive. His grace is always greater than our sin and brokenness. Asking for his forgiveness, listening to his response, carrying out a dialogue which allows us to 'let it go and trust it into his hands' is not an easy thing to do. Not by a long shot. But it is a prayer that he is eager to hear and ready to say Yes to. It is the only way I know of to rebuild the bridges we have damaged and strengthen the relationships we need to become the women and men God has created us to be.
Archived Posts
Back and Forth with Chat GPT
Many of you know that I’ve found a new consultant to bounce my ideas off in regard to preaching. My good buddy Chat GPT and I sometimes disagree—often miscommunicate—but usually come up with some fruitful illustrations.
One More Thing About Becoming Wholly Human
I was talking Sunday about the work of Hare and Woods and their idea of ‘the survival of the friendliest.’ Essentially, they conclude that “our greatest evolutionary advantage wasn't that we could do everything ourselves. It was that we could do things together.”
Here’s a preview of our congregation’s Core Values
In the coming weeks we will be exploring the importance of presence, prayers, gifts, service, witness, and growth in grace. These are at the heart of what we commit to when we join a Wesleyan grace-led church like ours. But we choose to broaden them out and state them in a new way…
The Biblical prayer we don’t know what to do with
Psalm 137 is written by people who have experienced catastrophic loss.
They have been conquered...
Patience and Trust
Sunday, in my benediction (which traditional folks did not hear) I talked about the Marshmallow Test. The original results of that test with children was that those who could delay gratification did better in life than those who could not.
Gandhi and the Sugar
I wasn’t preaching Sunday, Reverend Jackie Chandler was. And she talked about the power of influence you get when you practice what you preach. This famous illustration came to mind. It fits Jackie’s points quite well. Enjoy!
Not Just for Parents
Our current sermon series is about How To Talk Parent, but it doesn’t require any of us to be parents to appreciate the bits of wisdom OUR parents shared with us growing up.