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I had an idea shortly after I arrived here to do what I call a, “split-screen sermon,” which is a name I absolutely hate but haven’t come up with anything better for it. We’ve done this probably four times since I’ve arrived and we’re going to do it again this Sunday. The premise of a split-screen sermon (ugh, that name) is that there will be two sermons preached in the same worship service. This is accomplished through the wonders of technology, where two sermons can be prea

I receive spam emails. That is something that happens in this world. Perhaps you have received a spam email in the past. If not, then I don’t know how you’re reading this because you obviously have never been near a computer. I get spam emails that run up against the spam filter, but those I never see. But I also get what I think of as pseudo-spam. These are emails that are likely sent by real human beings, but clearly come from someone with a quantity-not-quality approach to

This is another blog that falls under the loose genre of, “Jeff is kind of a word nerd.” This all started because I had a word stuck in my head the other day. In the past, I’ve made the mistake of universalizing a trait only to find that it is not actually that common. I’ve also made the mistake of thinking I’m dealing with some niche issue only to find out that it happens to literally everyone. So, I’m not going to make that mistake here and just assume that you know what I

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the experience of observing the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s General Assembly from afar. While it was not my main point, I mentioned that I had heard good things about the closing sermon delivered by the Rev. Laura Mariko Cheifetz.The sermon was reflecting on Isaiah 58:6-12Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

It can be really easy to be cynical right now. We are in a cynical time, in a cynical world, with plenty to be cynical about. I fall prey to the cynical impulse all too often, and it makes it hard when I sit down to write. I am not, by nature, a cynic. Nor do I want to be. So I sat down today with the purpose of writing something that makes me feel good, and this is what I wrote. I need encouragement to avoid the lure of cynicism sometimes, and if you do as well, then conside

Last week was the bi-annual (every other year, not twice per year) gathering of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) known as General Assembly. I was not able to attend General Assembly this year. In fact, I’ve never been to General Assembly, which is something that I’d love to remedy sometime soon. Two years hence, GA will be held in Puerto Rico, so…And while I was not able to be there, the entire thing was live streamed.

John Witherspoon was a Presbyterian pastor and the only clergy to sign the Declaration of Independence. As the country is on the cusp of its 250th birthday, I wanted to share pieces of a sermon that John Witherspoon preached at Princeton University in May of 1776. This sermon served as an influential flashpoint and an impassioned and faithful defense of the cause of the patriots on the cusp of the American revolution.

I was asked by a colleague of mine if I could describe what “contemporary worship” meant. She was asked by a member of her congregation if they could have a more “contemporary worship” service, and wanted to know what I (and others) thought that might mean. Personally, I feel that any worship service, regardless of style, is only effective if it is contemporary, which is to say that it matters to the people who are present in the service. And while I think there are plenty of

Last week, I wrote about Norman Roc well. I ended the post by sharing this painting. I’ve seen posters of this painting hanging in the offices of colleagues, and I always appreciate it. It is a distillation of the gospel message with an image that speaks to the breadth of the kind of love that God calls for us to share. I think this piece of art, a pure message of love from a quintessentially American artist, should be held as a treasure for our nation. But...

With the United States of America turning 250 in the not-too-distant future, it is natural to be thinking about the nature of America. And there is almost no better example of Americana than the painter Norman Rockwell.

I’m still slowly paging through Pope Leo’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, and am grateful to the Pope for providing this resource for how we (not just Catholics or Christians, but people who seek the common good) can think about the accelerating influence of AI on our culture. One observation that he makes is about how the world’s power structures create unjust conditions for AI’s use. He points out that AI is a world-changing development that exists outside of traditional

I wrote about AI last week for the first time in a while. I know that this isn’t necessarily how providence works, but on Monday, May 25th, Pope Leo XIV published a massive encyclical entitled, “Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.” Already, I love it. Magnificent Humanity. That’s one heck of a title.

There’s a new book coming out entitled, The Future of Truth by Steven Rosenbaum. The description of the book, according to Google’s AI, says, “The Future of Truth: How AI Reshapes Reality by Steven Rosenbaum explores how AI is challenging traditional notions of truth, examining the collapse of institutions under algorithmic pressure and the rise of synthetic realities. ”The author has, what I can only assume to be a real thing, “A Masters Degree in Truth from the prestigious

Stay safe, be kind, have fun, we love you.

As a preacher, it is my habit of using the Revised Common Lectionary to choose the scripture verses on which I preach. It’s a three-year cycle that provides weekly readings for the preacher to choose from. I prefer using the lectionary because it forces me to preach on a broad array of scripture passages rather than just the same five or six that I would usually pick. We all have favorites, and I know I would love to just preach those same six sermons over and over again.

I do a lot of writing in my professional life. I write one of these things pretty much every week, write sermons pretty much weekly, write reports for annual reports and the like, write newsletter articles, write announcements, and write an infinite number of emails. I write a lot for work, so it is rare that I remember the content of something I wrote after the first few weeks of it coming into existence. This makes the rare occasions on which I actually remember my words im

I am still thinking about our sacramental lives that we are called to. I have spoken at length already over the past few weeks about the sacraments in the Presbyterian Church, the sacraments as official acts of the church, and about the need to broaden our sacramental thinking in ways that allow us to see the divine in everyday spaces. This was started in this blog two weeks ago and was continued in my last two sermons.

Religion and politics… I’ve talked and written about this a lot before, but it seems to be a topic that arises are reliably as the sun rises.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the sacraments. As Presbyterians, we only have two sacraments – Baptism and Communion. I like those sacraments a lot, and have a lot to say about them (Which you’ll hear more of this Sunday if I follow through on my plans).

A guide to the proper observance of Holy Week, as outlined through tradition, scripture, and… um… me.