The God Who Completes
Pastor Doug Dent
Recognizing the unfinished nature of our practice of faith should help us to expect spiritual progress as we continue to seek God’s will. Going on to perfection is not a DIY project. God helps us. Most of all, we should be hopeful. As each of us remains a faithful disciple committed to following Jesus, “the […]
God’s Emoji
Pastor Doug Dent
Amid the emojis of the world this season, let’s remember the “righteous branch” that God caused to spring up for our sake: Jesus, the Christ, the babe from Bethlehem. With this “righteous Branch” as a central symbol for our lives, we discover what it means to be right with each other and with God. God’s […]
The Prayer Prosthesis
Pastor Doug Dent
Christ the King Sunday is the columniation of the church calendar year. We pray relentlessly for Jesus to come and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords and create the eternal new heaven and the new earth. Next week is the First Sunday of Advent, and we pick up the plea of Scripture, […]
Drawing Lines
Pastor Doug Dent
God drew a circle that took us in because God’s territorial imperative is bigger than we can comprehend. Jesus draws endless circles around us: circles of love, circles of hope, circles of peace. The Holy Spirit compels us to climb over our self-made lines and step into the middle of God’s greater circle. God calls […]
The Liars’ Club
Pastor Doug Dent
Jesus isn’t saying that we should be dishonest; instead, he’s advising us to use whatever wealth we have — what he calls “dishonest wealth” — to build a community that can endure. None of us is meant to live a life of isolation. None of us is designed to practice our faith apart from the […]
Murphy’s Law Inverted
Pastor Doug Dent
A showing and a glowing church is a church which prays, a church which studies, a church which worships, a church which remembers the sacraments, a church which offers praise and thanksgiving. A showing church is ready for whatever comes. A glowing church lights the way for others. With such a church, Murphy doesn’t stand […]
Life’s Two Pockets
Pastor Doug Dent
Elzéard Bouffier was neither saint nor sinner: he was both. Though he intended to cut himself off from his fellow human beings, he succeeded in shepherding a reborn creation into existence, and brought new possibility for life to his neighbors. Bouffier chose to take his hand out of life’s left pocket, out of the ashes […]
Excel at Giving
Pastor Doug Dent
What does it mean to give beyond our ability? It means pushing our giving past the point where the figures add up. It means giving when the bottom line says we can’t. It means believing in the God of abundance who provides beyond our needs. It means being people who take, bless, break, and give. […]
Please, Don’t Drop In!
Pastor Doug Dent
Although we often say we are willing to help, like good Christians should, we rarely drop by and do anything. Although we often see the need, far too often we don’t make the effort to get off our donkeys, lift up fallen persons, and escort them to safety. The victims of our world — and […]
Unhappy Servants
Pastor Doug Dent
This parable forces us to ask: What if we saw our jobs not as something to be endured, but as part of our vocation as followers of Jesus? What if we spent every day, not comparing ourselves to others, but doing all in our power to lift others up? Jesus calls us to be part […]
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