Inspired by Numbers 15: 22-29 Maybe don’t pout about it, I tell myself. But here I sit anyway, doing nothing, watching the snowfall. I don’t know what it is about me that I can know something is going to happen and I can still be upset when it does. There is something inside of me that […]
More than a Fairytale
Inspired by Isaiah 11:1-9 More than a fairytale, Isaiah 11: 1-9 is the criteria by which we can measure our effectiveness in the continuation of Jesus’ ministry. Out of a broken world, new relations are birthed. “In this passage,” Professor Michael J. Chan writes, “we witness a fundamental reordering of creations priorities. Predators dwell in […]
January 22. 2022 Message
Inspired by Isaiah 42: 1-9 Something unthinkable happened. A people favored by God and blessed with victory, land, and offspring are exiled and enslaved by a foreign power. The Babylonians had defeated Israel. The temple, their treasures, their homes, their way of life, all destroyed. A level of devastation that can be communicated no clearer than […]
Something to Celebrate!
The Land ended its third fiscal year ahead of the projected schedule toward sustainability. Not only did we only finish $6,000 short in donations compared to what our expenses were for the year but we also did not have to pull from our investment account as was planned. As a new organization, working toward sustainability we celebrate that we are ahead of […]
What does it mean to be inclusive?
What does it mean to be inclusive? At The Land being inclusive is more than a statement but a practice of listening and learning from voices that differ from our own. It means trusting that we are capable of love and acceptance even in the absence of understanding. It means reflecting on our own barriers to […]
If I Had a Billion Dollars
When I told the kids I needed to send out an email asking for end-of-the-year donations today, and asked if they knew anyone who wanted to make a big donation to The Land, they asked me what I would do if someone gave The Land a billion dollars. I answered quickly and kept talking long […]
Moving in the Direction of Love
Halfway en route to our vacation destination and we were headed in the wrong direction. “At the roundabout, turn left,” she said. Except there was no left. The GPS was mistaken which forced us to veer right which pushed us onto the interstate which meant we were driving 70 mph in the wrong direction. This is […]
Let’s Try this Again
*A message inspired by 1 Samuel 3: 1-10 (CEB) Okay, let’s try this again. When I was in seminary, I learned the “old school” preachers wrote and memorized a script to preach on Sunday. And I may be imagining this part, but I feel like I remember someone asking what these preplanned preachers did when […]
The Land’s Christmas Message
Christmas comes with all the feels. When I was eight, I opened all my presents, went upstairs, and crashed on the couch. My mom concerned that I was pouting for not receiving an unnamed gift that morning provided a rousing verbal reminder of the true meaning of the season. In response, I threw up. We all handle […]
Giving Thanks
I’m not sure how many times I’ve driven past Arapahoe High School without noticing that their mascot was an American Indian Warrior. Too many to count because I only saw it two weeks ago, and the only reason I noticed was that Fiona pointed it out to me. Of course, I had a lot to […]