Liminality

Friday afternoon I was sitting in Starbucks writing a paper and reviewing my sermon for Sunday. There was a young man, no doubt in college, sitting in a sofa chair straight across the room. Busy checking Facebook and texting his friends every other second, I could not help but notice him. As I was watching I saw this older gentleman constantly circling him and looking over his shoulder. I stopped what I was doing to watch this moment unfold. The boy took his ibuds out of his ear and asked the older gentleman if he could help him with anything. (This was an incredibly awkward moment for me and everyone else in ear distance) The older gentleman helped himself to the adjacent seat and said, “Son, you look lost. Do you go to church anywhere?” “No.” The young man said concernedly. “You’re not going to tell me why I should are you?” The older gentleman replied, “If you will let me I would love to tell you about my church. We are the new Community Church in town and have been...

Rob Bell in his “Everything Spiritual” tour said there is no word in Hebrew that means spirituality. The reason for this was because spirituality was not seen as separate or distinct from ordinary life. Every part of life, decision-making and events were seen as spiritual. Jesus never once asks his disciples how their spiritual life was being fed or how they felt their spiritual life was going. It would not have made sense to ask these questions. To live is to be spiritual. To be human is to carry a spirituality that connects your earthly self to a heavenly realm. I believe it is advantageous for all of us to carry this same understanding of the divine. Whether you define it as Spirituality, Christ, God, Holy Spirit, divine intervention or pure luck, it is evident to me that something bigger than this life is alive and moving in this world. I call this God. For some of us I fear we make distinctions between life and spirituality. Life is what we do from Monday ...

McAfee School of Theology on its founding day planted an acorn outside of its main theology building. This was to symbolize the spiritual growth the students at McAfee were to endure. An acorn is planted into the ground and when nurtured properly grows into a mighty oak tree. What seems to start as such humble and meek beginnings is actually the start of something much bigger. When a seminary student enrolls then it is presumed that they are like the acorn. They have a ton of potential and need a place to plant their roots. When nurtured, they grow into a mighty oak that can bear the joys and frustrations of life, ministry and Christianity. But is that all? Does the acorn symbolize anything else? I think it does. I think it symbolizes how our faith grows. Our Church History professor, Dr. Loyd Allen, lectures on two different types of growth: inorganic and organic. Inorganic growth is when something grows more of the same. Money in the bank when drawing intere...

This past week the New York Times wrote: From far away, this is how it looks: There is a country out there where tens of millions of white Christians, voting freely, select as their leader a black man of modest origin, the son of a Muslim. There is a place on Earth — call it America — where such a thing happens. (NYTimes) I have to say I am completely proud to be an American. Forty years ago America fought for the rights of all people. The fact that color and race did not deter American’s from voting for the candidate of her/his choosing is commendable. For those who did not vote democratically and decided to stick with the Republican Party I congratulate you as well for not being deterred for voting for a woman vice president. These are interesting times in America . People are not being judged by the color of their skin or the sex of their humanity but by the content of her/his character (King). This is a step in the right direction. Ladies and Gentlemen: ...