Blogging from Kansas City: Thursday
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” Psalm 118:22-23 My dear, dear, Mennonite brothers and sisters, my people, my tribe. All week long at this Convention we’ve been hearing about the Emmaus road story. How the…
Systems of forgiveness
Last Thursday I was rather thrilled with the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si,” which speaks an eloquent and urgent pastoral word regarding climate change. Rather than addressing just his fellow Catholics, or even fellow Christians, the document opens by saying, “Now, faced as we are with global environmental…
“The purpose of the institution…”
Keeping on the theme of wider church gatherings this summer (Central District, Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite World Conference) … My favorite book to read devotionally these days is The Experience of God: Icons of the Mystery by Raimon Panikkar. Panikkar was the son of a Spanish Roman Catholic mother and…
A miracle at the table?
It is church conference/convention season. Tomorrow through Saturday is the Central District Conference Annual Meeting, this year in Elkhart, Indiana on the campus of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary – my old stomping/studying grounds. Six of us from Columbus Mennonite will be attending. This gathering is mostly focused on relationship building…
Marches and Parades
A couple of months ago, I was having breakfast with a friend of mine and the conversation turned toward my experience as a gay man. Because this woman is a friend and because she showed a genuine interest in hearing about my experiences, I was happy to share some of…