“Extremists for love” (excerpts from MLK’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”)

On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., addressed a letter to his fellow clergymen, which he wrote from a jail cell in Birmingham. It’s a long letter, but well worth the read on this MLK Day 2021, during a year that has been just as racially charged as any in my lifetime [link to entire …

“Even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten.” (unpacking yesterday’s Kern County preliminary injunction)

Yesterday, December 10, the Superior Court of California - County of Kern - ruled in favor of Father Trevor Burfitt's motion for preliminary injunction brought against the defendant, Gavin Newsom. So, what does this mean? It means the court ruled that Governor Newsom is not able to treat religious institutions "less favorably than comparable secular …

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but…

This has been a year, hasn't it? Two weeks turned into two months, turned into half a year, turned into ten months...and counting. Fun fact: 2020 is currently 94% over. If you'll allow me, I'd like to share a few thing I have learned, that might be what you need to hear today, too. This …

With whom would you trade your life?

Happy Thanksgiving. Here's a quick thought exercise. Ask yourself this question: With whom would you trade your life? Is there someone you know - or think you know - whose life seems to be significantly better than yours, such that if you were to switch places, you would be happier and more content than you …

Turning the Titanic in 2019: 5 reasons the Church is primed for growth

Maybe the Titanic isn't the best name to use; the ship is - after all - known best not for floating but for sinking. This is, however, what people would tell you is quickly happening to the Christian Church in the United States. I beg to differ. If the Christian Church appears to be sinking, …

…But some doubted.

And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted! He was dead and sealed in a tomb, where He remained for at least 36 hours.  He was alive and walked among them, even letting them touch the nail holes in His hands and feet.  Later, when Paul tells the details (1 Corinthians 15), …

“But if not…” -A Sermon by Rev. King

"There was a day when many of the Israelites found themselves in bondage in Babylon. There was a king of Babylon by the name of Nebuchadnezzar, you read about him a good deal in the book of Daniel, and it stands as an epic that will remain stenciled on the mental sheets of unfolding generations. …

Taking off the training wheels

Our kids are great bicycle riders. For all 3 of them, we took the training wheels off right about their 4th birthday. For our youngest, that was this week. The face of independence.  As a parent, there is something exhilarating about letting go for the first time, and watching your offspring wobble down the sidewalk. You stay …

“Agree to Disagree” – is it still possible?!

The first time the phrase "agree to disagree" appears in print is in a John Wesley sermon, written for the 1770 funeral of George Whitefield, fellow founder of the Methodist Church. Apparently, the two men made a sport of arguing theology, but in the end always kept perspective and left as friends. Wesley wrote this: …

Don’t be a pawn.

It's another election, which means whatever "side" you're on, you're being told this particular election is pivotal in the future survival of society, if not the earth. Take a deep breath. Now take another one. I have something to tell you. You're being manipulated. At least, that's the plan. To use you as a political …