Staying Public... 238 days left on my journey.

According to my Lose it! apps this morning, I have 238 days remaining on my journey from 290 to 220. Just to update you and remain accountable by staying public, I lost 2.5 pounds this last week. A healthy amount, albeit not as quick as I’d like. During my journey this week, I could not help but reflect on all of the hunger in our world, as I tried to limit my own intake. There is something interesting about disciplining our impulses that opens our hearts toward the needs of others. I will continue to explore, pray, and reflect on these thoughts as the journey continues. Thank you for helping me stay accountable.

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Now there is something you don’t see very often!

After the halfway point on my walk this morning, heading back towards home, I saw something you don’t see every day. It was a mockingbird chasing a hawk. The hawk was probably five times the size of the mockingbird. But the chase was all in the attitude. The mockingbird was squawking and chirping in a language that would make a sailor blush. The hawk wanted no part of it and was trying the flee but could not get away from the mockingbird. What had the hawk done? What had agitated the mockingbird so much? Had it been a transgression? Was the hawk just too close for comfort? Or did the two have a history. I was walking a bit later than normal and had not yet seen this routine. The unusual scene distracted and entertained me as I reflected on a myriad of permutations. As I’ve felt like the one receiving the squawk most of my life as a leader, I was surprised at how proud I was of the little mockingbird. Maybe ...

The A.I. Assisted Sermon: Hello world!

By now, you have probably seen reporting on A.I. (Artificial Intelligence). The format of the reports are almost humorously consistent. There are a few moments of explanation on how computing reached this point. There is a mention of A.I. being the quickest technology to reach one hundred million users. Then, the report often concludes with the pundit explaining that a portion or all of the report was written by A.I. So, before I proceed. No, this blog was not written by A.I. Viewing these developments with some level of skepticism, I thought I would test A.I. out myself. I had worked as a UNIX architect for almost a decade before responding to my call into ordained ministry. I still enjoy using technology to accomplish tasks. Recently, I attended a Board of Ordained Ministry meeting where a few of my colleagues posited that A.I. performed better on some of the commissioning questions than several of the candidates. Could this be right? So...

Who Is My Neighbor?

Lent begins this Wednesday, and I am eager for the journey ahead. Our Lenten sermon series, Iconic , invites us to explore stories and teachings of Jesus that have become deeply embedded in our culture. This week, we begin with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) —Jesus’ response to the question, “Who is our neighbor?” This question remains just as relevant today. Jesus’ answer was as surprising then as it is now: the hero of the story—the Samaritan—was the least expected to stop and help. Cultural biases and stigmas of the time made this story jarring. And yet, Jesus doesn’t simply answer the question outright; instead, Jesus poses one of his own: “Which of these was a neighbor to the man?” The lawyer who initially asked the question is confronted with his own biases and is forced to acknowledge the shocking conclusion: “The one who showed mercy.” Jesus then commands, “Go and do likewise.” Too often, devotional...

A Few Thoughts...

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