Abraham Lincoln likely considered Springfield, Illinois his home more than any other place – it was his home as an adult prior to his presidential election. To say that his campaign for President was challenging is an understatement. He was an underdog for the primary nomination and in ... Continue

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States begins, “We the people of the United States….do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” We have gotten into a very bad habit in our country of bashing our government. We forget that in a ... Continue

When the Congregational Council gathered in late February for its monthly meeting, I certainly didn’t arrive with many expectations. I assumed we’d laugh together, pray together, hear reports, maybe make a few decisions, and go home. The evening turned out to be quite different from my minimalist expectations. ... Continue

I doubt that those who went on the Tijuana Mission Trip would describe our experience as “nice” or “interesting.” Those words are utterly inadequate to describe what happened to us or what happened among us or what happened through us to others. The word that ruminates in my ... Continue

Along with several faculty members at Central, I recently heard Dr. Philip Cunningham, a highly acclaimed Catholic scholar; speak on positive developments in the unfolding dialogue between Christians and Jews. Cunningham stated, “We have a covenant with the Jews that we can’t have with any other group.” It ... Continue

It has been a joy to begin a preaching ministry at Prairie Church. You have been most responsive in my first sermons. I have found that preaching improves the better I get to know you because so much of preaching is impacted by context. My preaching has ... Continue

I do not worship big-ness. I often find “big box” stores to be numbing. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. You end up walking what feels like a mile and a half for a few items. You walk from one end of the store to ... Continue

Our son’s telephone call on our way home Sunday night changed the mood considerably: Osama bin Laden had been killed. Almost immediately, a crowd gathered outside the White House and at the WTC celebrating the killing of America’s most hated enemy. Bin Laden was the #1 enemy of ... Continue

When I began my pastoral ministry, I hadn’t really thought about the value of prayer and hardly knew anything about meditation. I recall that a progressive church in Southern California contacted me and asked me to meet with their pastoral search committee. I would have been the second ... Continue

It is one thing to drive through and observe a disaster area. Curiosity seekers flock to places like Joplin. You can take pictures and see the horrific force of the nation’s worst tornado. You can say, “I’ve been there.” It is another thing to get inside ... Continue