Mary, the mother of Jesus, is not only the meek, mild, obedient woman the Christian tradition has turned her into, but also, a strong, morally autonomous, independent woman who does her own thinking, her own questioning, her own discerning and her own deciding. For many of us, it’s a very different way of thinking about…
When people ask me to describe our church, I love to say, rather than being a non-denomination community church, we are a multi-denominational church! We come from so many different faith backgrounds. It makes for a very rich experience! I grew up conservative Pentecostal – and God fit very neatly in a tidy, well-wrapped, little…
Thank you, again, for the wonderful surprise for Pastor Appreciation Day! I was so touched by your kind words and the cards I received. I was also touched that on the beautiful plaque you gave me, it had inscribed on it my Life Verse. A Life Verse is something that we hold on to as…
In this article, I give to you a very special invitation to cultivate gratitude and gratefulness as your basic attitude toward life; as the very ground of your being. Gratefulness is powerful. It’s one of the most powerful forces in the world. Gratefulness makes all the difference between just going through the motions and really…
A pastor asked her congregation one Sunday morning to read the 17th chapter of Mark in preparation for the following Sunday’s sermon. So, before giving the sermon the following Sunday, she asked how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The pastor said, “Well, I have the right audience for my sermon today….
What a week! So many high emotions! So many low emotions! So many mixed emotions! I am so grateful for the many strides for the advancement of equality – and the many progressive benchmarks reached – and passed! California Faith for Equality said: “We woke up in a different world this morning, a world where…
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is such a beautiful song. And it means so many things to so many people. It’s a song about looking for a promised land; it’s a song about longing for something better; it’s a song about hope. We have just completed our annual stewardship campaign and it was a reminder to…
I know that it’s always risky for a pastor to talk about anything having to do with money, but that’s exactly what I want to do. Not because I have to, but because I want to. Many churches and synagogues have annual stewardship drives and ask the question, “What are our needs as we look…
This week’s submission is from Rev. Houston Burnside Sr. who’s been a Baptist preacher and a college professor. He is also a friend of mine. I hope you enjoy his article. – Pastor Dan. Jerry was blind – blind from birth. He was about my age. He, along with my new 18-year-old fiancé and I,…
You are so blessed – and at The Met, we want to remind you how much God loves you! We are about building a VIP church – one that is “Vibrant, Inclusive and Progressive.” Today, I honor our deaf community – saying we are all important in the realm of God. I love the greeting…
