sacred journeys

One of my favorite authors is Frederick Buechner. His writing style is so unique for a Christian author — but yet it gets to the heart of the matter in a very non-orthodox way. Here is a quote from one of his books:
“I have called this book Telling Secrets because I have come to believe […]

I have been away for far too long this month. Besides helping to plant this church out here in Hollywood, I began a Masters program this summer that has been totally kicking my butt. I really enjoyed it, and I enjoy it even more now that I am done for 5 weeks!
Also, I got a […]

In the beginning, there is struggle and a lot of work for those who come near to God. But after that, there is indescribable joy. It is just like building a fire: at first it’s smoky and your eyes water, but later you get the desired result. Thus we ought to light the divine fire […]

Better just to smell a flower in the garden…than to have an unauthentic experience of a much higher value. Better to honestly enjoy the sunshine or some light reading than to claim to be in contact with something that one is not in contact with at all.
- Thomas Merton

I guess I should have expected this, now that we are in L.A. –
LA Times earthquake story from today
“An earthquake rocked Los Angeles early today, waking people up and knocking things off shelves. There were no reports of injuries.”
Personally, I did not feel anything — but a couple of people at the coffee shop […]

When Martin Luther got up in the morning and put water on his face, he would say, “I am baptized!” It was a way of reminding himself that living out his baptism was a key to discipleship … For us as well as for Martin Luther, the baptismal covenant is to be lived out in […]

I was away for a few days in MN taking a seminary class. (an ‘intensive’ where you cram 40 hours of class time in a single week). Anyway, am back in L.A. now, and Michelle and I were in the car yesterday, and heard the news about the bridge collapse in Minneapolis.

This bridge, which is […]