The Roofless Church

Category: Epiphany

  • Power Beyond Measure Part 4

    Power Beyond Measure Part 4

    We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. — Marianne Williamson One day my dad called me out of nowhere and invited me to visit him in Mississippi. He said he wanted to talk to me and that it had…

  • Being With God

    Being With God

    God is the ground of being, being-itself; who concerns us ultimately. Thus, God is our ultimate concern. — Paul Tillich I’ll be honest with you and say that on a weekly if not daily basis, I find myself wondering what good I am doing as a pastor. It’s not that I don’t appreciate what I do or the people with…

  • There is No Competition

    There is No Competition

    I might be going through a midlife crisis (MLC). A word that etymologically means, “the point at which change must come, for better or worse.” I remember that whenever I heard about MLCs growing up, I thought that whatever it was, it would never happen to me because the way MLCs are typically characterized, it…

  • Breaking Through Before Breaking Free

    As I prepared my sermon for this Palm Sunday, I felt this sinking feeling. At first, I couldn’t figure out what it was. The truth is I’ve never been a holidays person. Even as a child I asked, “Do we have to do this Christmas thing every year. Actually, I get anxious during almost every…

  • Singing Down the Road to Redemption

    As the cast stood in the line preparing to enter the sanctuary, I could almost feel myself getting younger and the space getting narrower. Was it getting darker or was it just me?  Where did that spotlight come from?  Why am I so warm? I guess that’s what happens when you time travel and that…

  • And out of the Silence…Marisa Tomei

    “Marisa Tomei! Hallelujah! Marisa Tomei! Thank you Jesus! Marisa Tomei! Now I can eat. Amen.” What you just read was an approximation of my thoughts just before dinner tonight. I am presently on a retreat for new pastors and today is our day of silence. With the exception of a short session for spiritual direction,…

  • Toward Unfiltered Consciousness

    This morning I found myself stuck on The Root.  For those of you who have never heard of it, it is similar to The Huffington Post, but with articles that are more tailored to the interests of a largely African American audience.  Some of the articles that I got mesmerized by were a 4 page article on African…

  • Where Are You?

    One of the words that freaks out many of my fellow liberal Christians and people abused by religion or even the people who qualify themselves as “spiritual but not religious” more than anything is “REPENT!!!” Sometimes I imagine myself saying it in a sermon and seeing people’s eyes bug out.  They might say, “Oh crap!…

  • Coming Out of the Dark…

    Somewhere in time there is a part of me that I visit frequently.  He is in a dark room and he feels alone.  He is living a lie.  He believes that he is separate from God and from everything else in life–the consummate individual.  Even though he knows that he can get up and walk…

  • Reflection on the Body of Christ and God’s Mysterious Ways

    Ever since returning from China I have been reflecting on the Pauline metaphor of the Body of Christ.  Meeting Christians in China was an amazing experience.  I felt love, the Presence of the Holy Spirit, and the most sincere desire of the people to spread the love of Christ among their people and the world. …