Posts Tagged: "Mercy"

Church Without All The BS

These are the notes from my sermon preached on 11.21.21 at NWLife Church – the 9th in a series of 10 sermons based on the book of Nehemiah called “When Everything’s On Fire.”

The title of my sermon today is: “Church Without All The BS.”

Up to this point, Nehemiah has had quite the journey… A prayer, a plan, and the gracious hand of God. The favor of the king, permission to go, resources sent along for the work. And the support of the people—so the good work begins. Rebuilding.

And of course there are problems encountered along the way. But Nehemiah is not derailed. He continues. He prevails. The enemy does not succeed. And there are some conflicts among the people, some abusive practices that come to the surface. So Nehemiah has to deal with that too. But even still, the work continues. Restoration. Approaching wholeness…

Glimmers of the Beloved Community, God’s dream for us all.

And it appears that although the work was not easy, it is, in fact, worth it. Better days ahead, for all. Maybe there is life after the fire. Perhaps we can emerge from the ashes and thrive. So, let us believe. … Read More

Becoming Human Again

The other day I stumbled across a video of Martin Greenfield, “Tailor to the Presidents,” and fell in love…

martin greenfield cufflinks for post
You see, I have a thing for craftsmen and women—people who make handcrafted stuff: rustic Italian bread, wine, skateboards, pottery, whiskey, furniture, cabins, letterpress printing, whatever.

martin greenfield scissors for post

And I also think old men are… Read More

Stone Catchers

Bryan Stevenson is a human rights lawyer and author – his book Just Mercy is a NY Times Bestseller. The following is from a 2012 interview with Chris Hedges for Smithsonian Magazine:

bryan stevenson post

Stevenson turns frequently to the Bible. He quotes to me from the Gospel of John, where Jesus says of the woman who committed adultery: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

He tells me an elderly black woman once called him a “stone catcher.”

“There is no such thing as being a Christian and… Read More

My Stones

I don’t know about you, but I’m quick to drop my stones.

Usually it’s because I’m embarrassed. Because I got caught.

My judgy attitude was showing and I had a full collection of stones ready to throw.

It’s dirty. It’s ugly. It’s the kind of thing Jesus interrupts… Read More