-
What would you say at 8th grade commencement?
Once again, I solicit your help. A couple of weeks ago I was asked to be the 8th grade commencement speaker at the elementary school where our church meets for worship on Sundays. This invitation elicited two responses. First, I was thrilled that the school administration trusts our church enough to ask me. Second, I…
-
Roadside Sabbath
Do you ever pay attention to the highway median when you’re on a long road trip? The space between a divided road and the few feet of no-man’s-land just beyond the blacktop have intrigued me since reading A Sand County Almanac in college. I’ve lost my copy but, if memory serves, Aldo Leopold sees in…
-
A Memorial Day Prayer
Here is the prayer I offered before my sermon yesterday. Our Heavenly Father, As our country celebrates Memorial Day tomorrow, a day set apart to remember those women and men who have died in military service to the United States, we pause to remember all those who are grieving the loss of a loved one…
-
Clouds of Witnesses
My review of Clouds of Witnesses by Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom has been posted on Out of Ur. I’m seated at the front of a university lecture hall with representatives of five other religious traditions. Listening intently to the brief descriptions of our faiths are seventy undergraduate and graduate students, many hailing from other…
-
Gospel, Justice, and Multi-Ethnic Churches
This year I’m participating in a multi-ethnic church coaching cohort with the incomparable Dr. Brenda Salter-McNeil. During a recent conference call we discussed different models of multi-ethnic church ministry. The mosaic model (my label) assumes a blank surface on which the diversity of God’s kingdom can be expressed. Cultural diversity is necessary in order for…
David W. Swanson
Pastor and Author
David W. Swanson 