Presby-Musings

The Season of Pentecost & Summer Sermon Series These stores aren’t about perfect people. They teach us to trust God even when we cannot see the path ahead.   Today, we are going to be reading a story that is horrifying and confusing, but also one that teaches us what it means to trust God’s ultimate purposes.  In this story, Abraham is told by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and he very nearly does it.  So, is this a "text of terror," as some theologians call extremely problematic passages in the Bible, or is it something else?   And what do we do when we are faced with what seems like a terrible choice, no matter what we do?  When life seems incomprehensible... when we might feel as though we have no control... when we wonder if we really will have to give up what is most dear to us?   WE CAN TRUST GOD WHEN LIFE FEELS INCOMPREHENSIBLE   Genesis 22:1-14 After these things, God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “...

  “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves... Live the questions now.” — Rainer Maria Rilke Years ago, I had a crisis of faith that shook me to the core, and left me reeling over what to believe about God, the Bible, Christianity, and the Church.   All of the certainty that I had felt about my beliefs came apart seemingly overnight.  It was one of the most disorienting times of my life, especially as a pastor who had to keep preaching every Sunday.   What I learned during that season of deconstructing and then reconstructing my faith was that certainty was something that had actually kept me from growing spiritually.   I also learned that living with questions, maintaining an openness to change, and embracing curiosity were challenging and scary, but also created a spiritual path that drew me closer to the Divine.   Most of us prefer answers. Answers feel secure. They provide clar...

  Children, be curious. Nothing is worse (I know it) than when curiosity stops. Nothing is more repressive than the repression of curiosity. Curiosity begets love. It wed us to the world." - Graham Swift Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and suddenly realized they aren't listening to a thing you are saying and are just waiting for you to pause so they can say what they want to say instead? It's annoying, right?  You can feel dismissed, ignored, diminished, and all manner of negative things in those moments, and it can lead to a conversation becoming an argument very quickly.  Here's a tough question for all of us: Have you ever been that person — the one not listening and waiting to interject?  Many of us have.  I know I've been that person before.  It's not that hard to slip into a non-listening mode when you feel that what you have to say is more important and on point than anything you are hearing.   Which is why embracing cur...

  “Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson When my oldest son was small, one of the first questions that he learned to ask was "What's that?"  It sounded more like "What-at?" which sounded really cute the first dozen times he said it, but after a hundred times or so, it strained my patience.   But I recall doing my very best to answer him every time he asked.   We would be driving down the road, and I would hear him from the back seat asking, "What-at?" over and over again as we passed trees, buildings, bridges, signs, literally everything he could see from his car seat.   "What-at?"  "A tree."  "What-at?" "Another tree."  "What-at?" "A stop sign." "What-at?" "Yet another tree."  Children are naturally curious. They ask questions endlessly. Why is the sky blue? Where do stars come from? Why do b...

“Enjoy every step you take. If you're curious, there is always something new to be discovered in the backdrop of your daily life.” - Roy T. Bennett  One of the great moments in the TV series Ted Lasso comes when Ted wins a game of darts against the villainous ex-owner of the soccer team Ted is coaching.  He gives a speech about how people always underestimated him, but a quote from Walt Whitman kept the doubters from getting to him.   The quote was simply this:  "Be curious, not judgmental."   That scene has lived rent-free in my head for a long time, and I've watched it probably ten or more times as I've reflected on it.   Curiosity begins when we become willing to see the world differently. When we drop our judgments and jaundiced ways of seeing the world, we open ourselves up to curiosity and to wonder.   Most of us move through life on autopilot. We make assumptions about people, situations, and even God. Over time, those assu...

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.”  — Albert Einstein This week in the Daily Devos, we'll be exploring what it means to employ curiosity as a spiritual practice.   You might be curious what this might look like, and how we could spend five days reflecting on it.  I'd call that a good start.  Curiosity is perhaps one of the most underrated aspects of a healthy approach to life and life's challenges.  It's also difficult to maintain during challenging moments.  When we are feeling sadness, anger, guilt, and even joy, we don't often pause to wonder why.   I think the same thing applies to faith.  Most of us have been taught not to question God or the teachings of our church.  We don't ask questions as much as we should about our deeply held beliefs....

  “Peace comes from accepting the part of the story you do not understand.” — Paulo Coelho This week, we've been focusing on what it means to embrace our limits and acknowledge the frailty and impermanence of being human.  There is a strange sort of beauty in our limitations, especially when we learn what it means to live into them and know that God can become the strength in our weakness.   Perhaps the hardest limit of all is accepting that we do not control everything. I know this is hard for me to accept.  I want to control all of the outcomes in my life.  I don't like feeling helpless, as if the wheel is spinning in my hands as I try desperately to steer toward my preferred destinations.   I'm still learning what it means to trust God with my life, even after all of the years I've spent reflecting, studying, teaching, and preaching about God's love, grace, and purposes.  I've also come to know that I'm not alone in this.   Th...

Some months ago, I decided to stop using the beard wash I'd used for years, which covered up all the grey hairs on my face.  It happened because I'd gone for a while without using it due to travel, and I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "Why bother?" The fact that my fiancé thought the beard looked better in grey also played a role in that decision, to be fair. But still, it was a milestone.   I don't feel any older because my beard is grey, but I do feel older when I attempt to do some physical activities that used to be much easier, and my joints pop and creak in the mornings when I get out of bed.   There's a quote by Mark Twain that I was reminded of as I write this:  “Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.” This quote resonates with me in many ways.   It reminds me that each day is a gift, and we have no idea what tomorrow may bring.  Aging is part of life, and Time comes for us all in the end, so why not...

“The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything.” — Warren Buffett Years ago, I heard a talk by Pastor and author Andy Stanley about creating a healthy work/life balance that was both profound and unsettling.   In the talk, he declared that if you don't have balance, you are always cheating something in your life.  He went on to say that if you constantly choose work over your family, you are cheating on them.  I've been serving in church ministry for nearly thirty years, and for at least twenty of those years, I frequently cheated on my family, choosing to say "yes" to church stuff, which meant saying no to them.   It has taken me a long time to understand fully what Stanley was talking about.  The truth is, you can find balance in your life so you can be successful at work without sacrificing the things that matter.  You just have to learn when to say "No."  Ma...

It's difficult for me to take a day off from any kind of work or activity.  Even the days when I decide not to engage in church work usually get filled with other kinds of labor, projects, or activities.   The fact is, I like to stay busy, and I feel guilty if I'm not.  My desire to ensure I don't succumb to laziness or sloth is sometimes so strong that I can't simply enjoy a day of rest.   It's in those moments that I need to be reminded of the Sabbath commandment God gave the Hebrew people in the book of Exodus, which, you could argue, was the most important of all the Ten Commandments Moses presented to his people.  To cease from labor, to rest, to enjoy a full day filled with reflection, fellowship, meals with friends and family, was a revolutionary idea, and a reminder that we are not merely cogs in the machinery of commerce, acquisition, and materialism.   Our bodies need rest, and our souls need tending.   In his seminal book...

This week's Daily Devos will be centered around the theme of knowing and embracing our limitations as we learn to lean more on God's love and grace.   On my recent trip with my middle son to New York City and Philadelphia for his graduation celebration, I told him we could do whatever he wanted to do, and see whatever he wanted to see.  Luckily for me, his aspirations for the trip were mostly historical sites, museums, parks, and general sightseeing.  He's also a big believer in using public transportation, which was super cost-effective, but required a lot of walking.   And when I say a lot of walking, I  mean A LOT of walking.  We walked nearly eight miles a day, every day we were on the trip.  My feet hurt, my recently tweaked knee required a brace, and my legs would often refuse to work every morning of the trip.   It's a humbling thing to realize you can't keep up with your kid the way you used to, but I gamely kept at it, with...

The Season of Pentecost & Summer Sermon Series These stories aren’t about perfect people. They teach us to trust God even when we cannot see the path ahead. Today, we are going to read about how Abraham showed hospitality to some strange guests and how they made him a promise that, in turn, made his wife burst out laughing. Have you ever been in a hopeless space for so long that the idea that things could change and be made new seems utterly and ridiculously out of reach?  Maybe if someone told you in that space that newness was possible, you might laugh at them.   GOD’S PROMISES ARE OFTEN BORN IN PLACES WHERE HOPE SEEMS EXHAUSTED GENESIS 18:1-15; 21:1-7 • A little recap: How did we get here beneath some more trees? • All the places where Abraham encounters God—under oak trees Abraham had “put down stakes” by the oaks of Mamre. In the ancient world, trees often held sacred significance and were frequently associated with theophanies (visible manifestations of God). Go...