Every time I return to the beginning - to the "in the beginning" of Genesis 1 - I am surprised to find these words in verse 19: "Let us make humankind in our image." God's name may be "I am", but God's pronoun is "We are." It seemed all too fitting for preaching on an … Continue reading Made in Our Image →

Several nights in the last week, I've dreamt of fire. It was a return to childhood nightmares, except now they are populated with koalas and kangaroos, and undergirded with the grieved awareness that there are more fires to come. There was a time that Santa Rosa, CA was synonymous with the largest fire. Then, an … Continue reading Future fires →

It's almost too on-the-nose to talk about Matthew 2 in our present moment. Read the Epiphany story for yourself, and think about it: A narcissistic puppet learns that his power is not absolute, and then, motivated by his own insecurity, he tries to bully others to take out his alleged competition. When he doesn't get … Continue reading Post-epiphany →

Tuesday night is On Tuesday night, First UMC Santa Rosa hosts Spirit Cafe, a dinner/worship service for anywhere between 90-190 folks (and 10-25 dogs). Most of our guests are experiencing homelessness, though some are housed. Many are food insecure, though some have strong social support networks. There are folks from a variety of racial, ethnic, … Continue reading New Year, new conviction →