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In the current climate of the PCUSA, sadly, some conservative church members approach their pastors with the news that they are leaving for someplace where they can feel more at home theologically. They may not put it in quite those words, but they express dismay over the church’s apparent departure from biblical norms (referring to the outcomes of adoption of Amendment 10-A, the new Form of Government, and the August judicial commission ruling confirming changes in ordination standards). Their resolution of the personal, internal dissonance these actions cause is to search for a church home that is untainted by questionable […]

The second shift that evangelicals must make in order to manage the PCUSA transition is a movement from passivity to proactivity. Yesterday, the idea of “waiting on God” was presented as the alternative to waiting on (other) people to do something. But, to elaborate today, waiting on God is an active and alert attendance to the things God would have us do right now. An excellent waiter in a four-star restaurant is alert to the customer’s raised eyebrows, glances around the table, or the empty cup long before service is even beckoned. The waiter is actively attentive to the surroundings

Friends, no post today. Managed with hubby’s help to get home from Minneapolis late yesterday afternoon/evening on a non-stop flight. But it wiped out my blogging time, so I’ll pick up again today. Vertigo is no picnic, as some of you well know. Keep the prayers coming, and inspiration will strike me in God’s good time. Since I missed Friday’s sessions all together, I have some catching up to do!

So sorry I ditched you, dear readers…a full-blown vertigo attack hit me while waiting for breakfast at the hotel restaurant yesterday morning, and I’ve been out for the count since. Was taken to the ER of a local hospital, given excellent care, and midafternoon today (Saturday) I’m just about ready to be discharged. Must stay in town til Monday to get my sea legs back, but then I’ll finally be able to fly home. I had prayed before the event started, “Lord, help me to stay out of the way and trust you to do your work.” He answered me

No time to write this morning…on my way to Minneapolis to join 2000 Presbyterians in conversation about our future together. I’ll be leading in worship tonight, so see you there! Prayers of relinquishment; prayers of hope; prayers for wisdom . . .

The key to my previous posts is that God’s word judges the human heart: “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). It is not up to an individual to judge the heart of another, but it most certainly is the responsibility of every believer to read, heed, and lead with the Scriptures as our rule of faith and practice. If God really said it, then we must really do

Today marks two weeks since I started writing this blog. It’s Saturday, so I’m hoping you will give me a moment of personal privilege. In this post I’d like to reflect on what the writing discipline is meaning to me, some of the feedback I am getting from my readers, and some commitments for its continuance. Bringing the Word to Life “Bringing the Word to Life” has been my passion for decades. I am a teacher at heart and thrive in an environment of learning and transmission. For a long time, my particular concern has been to equip folks who

The Word is the Word of God (not the word of Mary), and the Life is the life offered, the life given, and the life lived within that Word. But hey, Mary has to figure out how the Word of God finds its way into Life, to guide and correct me (and maybe you, too—who knows)! So that’s what this blog is about as we explore together the relationship between God’s Word and our lives.