Claimed, gathered and sent

On Sat., Jan 22, I had the privilege of preaching at one of the services we had for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This followed right on the heels of returning from the conference in Atlanta. We met at the Memorial Church of the Brethren in Petersburg. The text was Romans 6:3-11. This is the message I shared:             Some of you may not know me. I’m the vicar or intern at Grace Lutheran Church with Pr. Larry Cantu. I am Lutheran, but am a bit of a denominational mutt. I was raised Roman Catholic, became a Catholic charismatic, and then became a non-denominational charismatic, then a Southern Baptist charismatic, and finally, a Lutheran. I’ve lived in New York, Palestine, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania, seen Christians of different persuasions work well together and not so well.             This year, it has been a privilege to be involved in the community of ...

There have been so many throughout my life and I am grateful. A Place for Prayer: A Blessing for Friends

I spent last week at a conference in Atlanta entitled, Summit for Leadership and Evangelical Justice. I just got back home to Petersburg late Thursday night. And I'm still processing all the information and thoughts and feelings I encountered at the Summit for Leadership and Evangelical Justice.  Sunday afternoon, we worshiped together with members of the Southeastern Synod in a gorgeous church in downtown Atlanta, GA, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer . The worship and remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. was tremendous. Following that was a meeting with Rep. John Lewis , the congressman from the 5th district, which includes downtown Atlanta. Rep. Lewis told us his story, taking us back to his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King. The session concluded with questions. One little boy went up to Rep. Lewis and asked him if it hurt when he was beaten during various encounters with authorities during the era of the Jim Crow laws. As Rep. Lewis spoke to the boy...