“God … bring down retribution on my persecutors.” Jeremiah 15:15 Oh, Jeremiah is mad! Jeremiah was calling upon God to inflict pain and punishment on his tormentors – it hurt even more because they used to be friends, now they’re enemies. These are tough, harsh words from the mouth of an angry man. Jeremiah had…
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom …” – Matthew 16:19 I clearly remember when I held in my hand, for the first time, a most precious set of keys! What an incredible feeling of power, elevated status and sweet freedom came over me when my grandpa placed in my hand the keys…
Wow! What an amazing passage! I like Acts 4 because it gives us a peek at how the early followers of Jesus came together and lived in an authentic community. All throughout the gospels we read that first, John the Baptist, then Jesus, preached about the immanence of the Kingdom of God (or realm of…
I love the story in Matthew 14 where Jesus asks Peter to walk on the water – what great drama about faith! Peter was willing to risk everything on just the word of his teacher. We hear in the Scripture that the disciples have been asked by Jesus to take a boat and go on…
A few weeks ago I participated in a community foot-washing service celebrating freedom and justice, and supporting comprehensive immigration reform creating a pathway to citizenship. Jesus is our role model in being active in social justice and advocacy and it felt so right to be there. The words of San Diego Council President, Todd Gloria,…
I am sometimes asked that if Jesus were walking the earth today, whether he would be standing up for social justice issues and promoting human rights. I immediately answer, “Yes.” In looking at his life, all he did and all he was, that answer is a no-brainer. From tax collectors to shepherds to fishermen to…
Imagine I have two glass mugs. One is filled with sand, and the other with rocks. They symbolize the ways we can order our lives. The sand symbolizes the millions and millions of little details that fill our days – what to eat, what to wear, what to watch on TV, etc. The rocks are…
Marva Dawn has written a book called Keeping The Sabbath Wholly. She’s a great writer. The book is practical yet able to draw this beautiful picture of what Sabbath time with God can be, and what’s at stake if we don’t make time for it. In the book she describes the wonderful shape Sabbath might…
wtf? where’s the faith? BY REV. DAN KOESHALL One of the things I love about our church is the diversity we have. Look around – people come from all walks of life and from many different denominations, church experiences and spiritual paths. We are a community church built on the premises of what our founder,…
You are cordially invited to join me in celebrating my birthday at The Center – Tuesday, April 2, 6:30 p.m. Only $20 for dinner and dessert catered by Babbo’s Restaurant. All proceeds benefit the outreach of MCC – our Community Church! Have you ever tried to rest, unplugging from all your electronic devices and screens,…
