Dr. Jacqui Lewis is Senior Minister Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village of Manhattan. Middle Church is a dynamic 900-member multiracial, multicultural, inclusive congregation in which everyone is welcome just as they are as they come through the door. Lewis is also the Executive Director of The Middle Project, an institute that prepares ethical leaders for a more just society....
Gen 2:20-25, Romans 1:18-27, 1 Timothy 1:10, Leviticus 18:22 20:13
http://www.crosswalknapa.org/blog/2017/3/11/jesus-and-homosexuality
Think about this statement: Loving, covenanted, same-gender sexual expression can be compatible with being a committed follower of Christ....
Mathew 5: 13-20
https://faithelement.net/9-06-salt-and-light/
Podcast
http://sacredise.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/NotLikeMe.pdf
Creative ways to Worship with a Monologue
Not Like Me: A one person dialogue ...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ponderanew/2015/05/13/dear-church-an-open-letter-from-one-of-those-mill...
Thoughts about the Church and Millenials...
http://rev-o-lution.org/2015/10/01/prayer-to-end-violence/
Prayer in a time of turmoil to End Violence...
http://rev-o-lution.org/resources/pregnancy-and-infant-loss-remembrance-day-october-15th/
Pregnancy and Loss
Prayers and suggestions for those that have lost babies.......
Matthew 13:44
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer
A daily meditation on the connection between humility and honesty. ...
John 20:19, Mathew 5:3-10
http://www.actforpeace.org.au/www_AFP/media/act-for-peace/get-involved/campaigns/ipd-2014/Praying-fo...
Prayers to Use for Peace and Acting for Peace...
https://www.charterforcompassion.org/charter/karen-armstrong-2008-ted-prize
Compassion Podcast on Interfaith Dialogue: Karen Armstrong...
http://www.pathways2promise.org/mental-health-a-guide-for-faith-leaders/
A Guide to Faith Leaders for Mental Health issues that may arise. ...
From sojourngrace.com:
"Anne Lamott says that not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die. It’s hurting someone, just not the rat. In a week like this, what does forgiveness have to offer us? Isn’t forgiveness just another way of letting the aggressor off the hook, and holding the victim responsible for their own pain? Join Jessica Mitchell as she asks the question, Could your soul be asking you to process something so you can let it go?"...
Genesis 16 Genesis 21
From sojourngrace.com:
"Genesis 16 and 21 record two stories of how the Ishmaelites came to be. But what’s interesting in these stories is how the characters relate to one another. In this message, Pastor Colby draws on insights from Quantum Physics, the Cross, and Wonder Woman to show how we can better learn to love ourselves and love one another."...
From sojourngrace.com:
"If you could reverse engineer some of your most healthy relationships, one of the things you might find is the existence of a non-anxious presence. In this sermon, Colby suggests that Love Looks Like Relaxing. Which is to say, having an open handed and open hearted posture toward the people in your life is one way to help your relationships thrive."...
In the past few decades, a new historical trend has been quietly playing out. Refugees from Christian liberalism and conservatism have been finding each other in a powerful Great Convergence. This convergence isn’t a watered-down attempt to find “middle ground” for the sake of getting along. Instead, it is a dynamic and sometimes chaotic journey through a new wilderness, where those alienated or estranged from their native traditions on the Left and the Right are drawn to find ancient Biblical faith that works in the modern world. The first episode of this eight-part series, lead by Rev. Eric Elnes, Ph.D., finds deep meaning and hope in what this unlikely group of fellow travelers is learning along the way....
Matthew 18:21 Matthew 18:22 Matthew 18:23 Matthew 18:24 Matthew 18:25 Matthew 18:26 Matthew 18:27 Matthew 18:28 Matthew 18:29 Matthew 18:30 Matthew 18:31 Matthew 18:32 Matthew 18:33
Father Richard Rohr gives a homily on forgiveness and mercy....
Eric Elnes interviews Dr. Maryanne Stevens, RSM, about "God experiences" that continue to shape her personal and professional life. Dr. Stevens is President of the College of St. Mary in Omaha, NE, as well as the Board Chair for Omaha's renowned Tri-Faith Initiative (www.trifaith.org) where a Jewish synagogue, a Christian church, and an Islamic mosque have co-located to a 35-acre Commons to move beyond interfaith dialog to interfaith community....
Eric Elnes interviews Imam Jamal Daoudi about "God experiences" that continue to shape is personal and professional life.
Imam Daoudi is the spiritual leader of of the American Muslim Institute – the Muslim partner in Omaha, Nebraska's Tri-Faith
Initiative (www.trifaith.org). Imam Jamal was born in Damascus, Syria
where, from the age of 12, he attended Abu Nour Islamic Center, under the
direction of the eminent scholars of that center. Imam Jamal holds a B.A
in English Literature from Damascus University and a Doctor of Ministry degree
from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH.
He came to the U.S. in 1995 and became a U.S. citizen in 2005 – the same
year he received the Martin Luther King “Living the Dream” award for peace
advocacy.
...
Eric Elnes interviews Wendy Goldberg about "God experiences" that continue to shape her personal and professional life. Ms. Goldberg is a founding member of Omaha, Nebraska's Tri-Faith Initiative (www.trifaith.org), where a synagogue, a mosque, and a church are co-locating to a 35-acre Commons in order to move from interfaith dialog to interfaith relationship. She is also member of Temple Israel (the Tri-Faith’s Jewish partner) and has served on its Board of Trustees, as President of the synagogue, and as Temple Israel’s Program Director. Wendy currently serves as a project manager for Project Harmony, an organization dedicated to protecting and supporting children and ending child neglect and abuse....
Eric Elnes interviews Ashley Schwartz, a farmer, grandmother, volunteer firefighter, a Christian, and transgender activist who made her gender transition twenty years ago while continuing to live and farm in her hometown of Malmo, Nebraska. Ashley credits her transition as instrumental in bringing her into closer relationship with God and her community. In this interview, Ashley shares intimately about her path and the "God experiences" that continue to shape it....
Eric Elnes interview's San Francisco Theological Seminary's Director of the Center for Innovation in Ministry, Rev. Floyd Thompkins, about "God experiences" that have shaped his personal and professional life. Floyd has served as a dean and chaplain at two world-class institutions, Stanford and Princeton universities. There he developed unique, highly effective programs to empower underserved teenage youth and young adults in urban and rural areas. He also led Antioch Baptist Church, the oldest African American Church in San Jose, CA, and was the Education and Administrative Pastor of Covenant Christian Church in Douglas, GA....
Rev. Dr. Chris Alexander interviews Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, one of the founders of Omaha, Nebraska's Tri-Faith Initiative (www.trifaith.org) about human nature, Judaism, the Tri-Faith Initiative, and the future of interfaith cooperation. Rabbi Azriel is Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Israel and serves as Scholar-In-Residence at Countryside Community Church (UCC), both in Omaha, NE....
John 14:1-6; Deuteronomy 32:7-12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; John 10:11-18; Acts 178:22-31; Colossians 1:13-20
This 6-sermon resource packet by pastor/biblical scholar, Rev. Eric Elnes, Ph.D., is focussed on how Christians may "claim fully the path of Jesus without denying the legitimacy of other paths God may create for humanity" (Phoenix Affirmation 1). The series specifically and sensitively addresses Jesus' statement in John 14:6 that "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The series helps people understand the historical and literary context of this statement, and a number of translational and interpretive possibilities that suggest that the most common interpretation (that Christianity is the only way) is the least likely one that Jesus would affirm. Also available (at additional cost) is a complete small group video resource produced by Darkwood Brew which is available in DVD and internet streaming formats (https://darkwoodbrew....