NEWSLETTER.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone where they did all the talking? It’s not much of a conversation, right? In fact, a few minutes of that verbal barrage and I’m looking for a polite way to exit the chat. Conversation is a two-way street, so to speak. This week I’ll be sharing at a local church a few thoughts entitled, “The Other Half of Prayer.” The idea stems from healthy interpersonal communication. In a healthy interaction, there is both speaking and listening. I contend that prayer is exactly the same. I further contend that the listening “half” of…

I’ve been studying Ezekiel 37 and Acts 2 this first week of the Season of Pentecost. I’ve read these texts many times, but I’m not sure I’ve read them with one another. In my journal I’ve begun to list all the things that jump off the page as I read. Do you journal? I’ve found joy in it over the years once I decided that I would journal in a way that suited me and not get hung up over “doing it correctly.” I’m intrigued by the gift of the “breath” to the re-assembled dry bones in Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel…

Scrambling up the sycamore tree, Zacchaeus had no idea what awaited him. Before the day ended, he would take up a life following Jesus and give up half his possessions to the poor. An encounter with Jesus is so life altering that we are never again the same. Another thing happens in Luke’s account of Zacchaeus and Jesus. We sang it as kids. Remember in the little Sunday School song, “…for I’m going to your house today. Yes, I’m going to your house today.” In the original language of the New Testament, the word Jesus used for “I must stay…

SCO Family, I hope this email finds you all in high spirits after a busy weekend. I wanted to take a moment to extend my heartfelt congratulations and appreciation to each and every one of you for the incredible impact you made during the Big Serve weekend. Your planning, commitment, and selflessness have truly made a difference in the lives of those around you. It is a blessing when a group of individuals comes together with a common goal to serve and bless the community. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and I believe that your actions align with the…

I love the emphasis of The Big Serve coming up April 19-21. I have heard so many exciting plans describing how our SCO congregations are preparing to love their neighbors in Jesus’ name. We are attempting to collect some of those plans now. Pastor, if you haven’t done so yet, Please place your information in the form by clicking here: This will help us as we send this story on to news outlets and our own Holiness Today. Don’t forget to snap some photos of your group serving as well and upload them to the link we have provided in this email recently. This is the…

As the season of Eastertide continues, my devotional readings have focused on resurrection events. Mark 16:2-3 intrigues me. “Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” Their impulse was to honor Jesus’ body in the manner they had been taught. To have permitted the body of one you loved, more importantly, one you believed to be God’s Son, to be treated inappropriately would have been unforgivable. So, they gathered the necessary resources…

“Ugh…Monday” I can’t count the number of times I’ve read the resurrection passages in the gospels. I marvel at angels, the empty tomb, dense disciples, and I imagine myself on the scene. All these years, until last week, I have missed the introductory phrase in all four gospel accounts. The phrase is either, “…after the sabbath…” (Matthew and Mark) or “…on the first day of the week…” (Luke and John). Both phrases mean essentially the same thing. I bet you’ve hustled past those words as well. We know the timeline, let’s get to the good stuff! Not so fast. That…

Picture yourself gathered for worship in your church. The announcements are finished, and the worship team is in full voice. Just as the congregation enters into a quiet refrain on one of your favorite worship songs, you are startled by a terrible sound and the building begins to shake. Your quick consideration of a second Pentecost is replaced by the blare of emergency sirens and the chaotic scrambling of your fellow parishioners. Before long, one of the people that always hangs out in the foyer during worship (every church seems to have them) comes bursting through the doors announcing, “Something…

Happy first day of spring! I love the way the weeks of Lent in the northern hemisphere often mean Crocus blooms push their way through the soil, trees turn purple with pregnant buds, and the birds return bringing with them the songs of the season. The cold earth and brittle stalks become flush with new life. I can’t help but think of resurrection, of new life, in the springtime! What are you doing with your new life? “What new life?” you might ask. The new life that you received when you were forgiven by Jesus and pointed in a new…

Luke records a Sabbath day when Jesus was invited to the home of a prominent Pharisee for a meal. A first-century meal like this would have resembled an ancient game of Musical Chairs. Guests tried to guess their place at the table based on their importance and who else had been invited. Naturally, Jesus took the lowest seatavailable and observed this embarrassing shuffle. When the meal was ready to begin, a man with abnormal swelling was seated right in front of Jesus. This man would have been visibly ill and since it was the Sabbath, it was clear that the…