Oh Who Will Build the Church Now? Kanisa Litajengwa! 2020 was a year like no other. The challenges facing the church were unprecedented and historic. But I want people to know that despite all the loss and anxiety caused by the pandemic we will rebuild and we will recover. The enduring principle that All Are […]
Category: Eastertide
Pentecost in Modern-Day Community of Christ
Pentecost in Modern-Day Community of Christ One of the marvels of trying to fathom the gift of the Holy Spirit is the sort of parallel truths that the Gift of the Holy Spirit is both an individual blessing as well as a community blessing. We understand Pentecost as a community blessing because the scripture in […]
Gratitude
Gratitude “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 118:1 Have you ever had big decisions to make, big choices to be made? Maybe as an individual or maybe even as a congregation. I remember when we started the church plant in Covina, California we spent about a year […]
Opening Our Minds to the Scriptures
Opening Our Minds to the Scriptures In the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, we read that Jesus opened the minds of the disciples to understand the scriptures: Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the […]
Singing the Sacraments
Singing the Sacraments When we purposefully enter into sacred space and seek to become more fully aware of God’s divine presence, moments of spiritual meaningfulness occur and we become more fully mindful of divine purposes in us. I had one such experience at the Temple in Independence in 2018 during the Writers’ Summit. I arrived […]
May 16, 2021 Peace Moment
For May 16, 2021 Prayer for Peace and Peace Moment with introduction Introduction Each week we will hear a Peace Moment in addition to the prayer for peace. Hopefully all will be blessed with these devotional thoughts. This week’s Peace Moment is by Lisa Stobbe . Bless God’s People Luke 24:43-52 IV depicts Jesus reassuring […]
With Sighs Too Deep for Words
As we continue in this season of Eastertide, I am reminded of the first two verses of Shirley Erena Murray’s Hymn “God of All Time” in Community of Christ Sings: (CCS 270) God of all time, all seasons of our living, blazing before our birth, beyond our dying, God of all time, we come to […]
A Clean Heart
A Clean Heart As we continue to emerge from a time when the mantra was “wash your hands, wear your mask, keep your distance” we are beginning to see a shift in focus. It allows us to return to an older mantra, as it were: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new […]
Jesus Is Calling You
Jesus Is Calling You In the gospel of Mark a group of stories are purposefully grouped together. First, those who were with Jesus saw a blind man healed. Then, on three different occasions Jesus foretold his death and resurrection. And on all three occasions, the disciples failed to understand which in turn gave occasion to […]
Book Review: Can You Drink the Cup?
Book Review: Can You Drink the Cup? Henri Nouwen, the Dutch Catholic Priest and theologian wrote a whole book about Matthew 20:20-23. The book was titled: “Can you drink the cup?” At 107 pages, it was like most of Nouwen’s books, an easy read. Nouwen tells us of his ordination to the priesthood in 1957 […]