Theological Reflection

Reflections on Kenya & Uganda: Above the Canopy

Leave a Comment / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), Kenya & Uganda, PCUSA, Personal, Sermon Illustrations, Theological Reflection / By /

Next stop on our great Africa adventure itinerary was Kakamega, Kenya. Two features drew us to this city in the west:  the Kakamega Forest Nature Reserve, home to many unique birds, and the Kenya office of Village Enterprise. I will cover VE tomorrow, but for this Sabbath, let me share some thoughts evoked by the experience of walking through a rainforest before dawn. The Kakamega Forest is an equatorial, tropical rainforest of about 250 square kilometers. It used to be the eastern end of a vast forest that stretched uninterrupted all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. But over time, […]

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Reflections on Kenya & Uganda: Neighbors

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As I contemplate our next, briefer, visit with a local Kenyan family, Mr. Rogers’ theme song “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” comes to mind: It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?… It’s a neighborly day in this beauty wood, A neighborly day for a beauty. Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?… I’ve always wanted to have a neighbor just like you. I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you. So, let’s make the most of this beautiful day. Since we’re together we

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Reflections on Kenya & Uganda: Getting Our Feet Dirty

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Over the years, one of our objectives for a vacation has been to “get our feet dirty.” This is our code phrase meaning, “Get out into the country, behind and beyond the tourist magnets, into the everyday world of our destination.” Like bird-watching, traveling through “the back door” (Rick Steves’ helpful image) enables us to sharpen our focus on a way of life different from our own. We have gained insight into the social, political, and economic realities of the places we visit by having heart to heart conversations with the locals in their natural habitat. On this trip, the

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Reflections on Kenya & Uganda: God Created the Beasts of the Field and the Birds of the Air

Leave a Comment / It All Started in the Garden, Kenya & Uganda, Personal, Theological Reflection / By /

A trip to Kenya means “safari,” an overland journey to view wildlife in its natural habitat. We had several opportunities to do this, and what a geography lesson it provided! After our brief stay in Nairobi to adjust to Africa time, we made the half-day drive to the great Maasai-Mara National Reserve. This huge park, which straddles the border with Tanzania, is home to the largest concentration of animals in all of Kenya. We were there during the great wildebeest migration, an annual event that temporarily changes the focus of the entire reserve.  An African legend describes the wildebeest, somewhat

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Reflections on Kenya & Uganda: Travel as Withdrawal

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Yesterday, I made the observation that travel is a sort of incarnation. In our case, a seventeen-day adventure in Kenya and Uganda included a ministry of presence with impoverished children at risk, new small-business owners, school teachers and pastors. Just being there brought a message: “We see you. We know you are here. There are people praying for you. We support your work for the Kingdom of God in this place. God knows what you are doing here with so little, and he will provide for you.” Over the years, we have discovered our best vacation memories revolve around encounters

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Reflections on Kenya/Uganda: Travel as Incarnation

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My husband and I arrived home yesterday afternoon, after a nineteen-day adventure in equatorial East Africa. In many places we had no electricity, so we had no Internet access, and uploading pictures to Facebook was a problem as well. I decided to catch up now with some reflection that is an inevitable and necessary part of world travel. Though the topic may not always relate to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), most certainly the Word was brought to life for me, and in turn I hope for you. But I can say parenthetically that the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA)

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The Complications of Communication

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Yesterday I spent a good part of the day participating in an online discussion, trying to sort out what appeared to be a miscommunication through the halls of Facebook. A post appeared within a Facebook group, other members of the group reacted while others tried to ask helpful questions. The “conversation” escalated into paranoia at times, and without any more substantive information to feed it, speculation took over. I finally called the original poster (is that a word?) to clarify the genesis of the issue that had come to light, and by day’s end it appeared resolution was around the

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The Courage to Hold and Speak Our Convictions

Leave a Comment / Leadership and Spirituality, Marriage Definition, PCUSA, Spiritual Disciplines, Teaching, The Missional Church, Theological Reflection / By /

Yesterday, I pondered spiritual boldness and the need for Christians to pray for it in an increasingly pluralistic society. From a cultural point of view, uttering certain viewpoints is risky and costly, leading some Christ-followers to be circumspect if not silent about their faith. I found out yesterday that one of my former students, applying for a ministry internship, was challenged by the interviewer for having me as one of her references, “because [I am] against gay ordination.” The student, taken aback by that attitude in what was supposed to be an ecumenical environment, stood up for me. [For the

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Why Do People Do What They Do?

Leave a Comment / Current Events, Essential Tenets of the Reformed Faith, It All Started in the Garden, Personal, The Missional Church, Theological Reflection / By /

A couple times a week I join a few fellow “gym rats” for coffee at the local Peet’s. This group of women frequents the fitness center and then gathers for a coffee klatch before heading home. They come from diverse backgrounds culturally and geographically and represent the gamut of religious views, from lapsed Christian to Sihk to Jewish to complete blank slate. Every once in awhile, one of them will turn to me for advice, knowing I am a pastor. Lately, however, there has been a communal handwringing over recent events. When the bombs went off in Boston, the questions

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The Bible—Episode Five: The Rest of the Story

Leave a Comment / "The Bible" on History Channel, Lent, PCUSA, Teaching, Theological Reflection / By /

My purpose for reviewing History Channel’s five-part The Bible has centered on the ongoing need for Christians, and my Presbyterian tribe especially, to tell the full and accurate story of God’s dealing with human beings through history. The question in my mind has been whether this television series has helped or hurt our efforts, whether there is anything of use in a Christian education setting, and whether it has been a faith-builder or a doubt-caster. To the last question, I would have to say that the episodes have steadily pointed toward a God with power, purpose, and goodness. Miracles have

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