I've been around long enough to know what "well, bless his heart!" means. But apparently, Jesus didn't, and he was nearly tossed off a cliff.

We wrestle through what Jesus is saying through a series of thought exercises.

For both his ordination and installation services, Adam has requested Amos 5 and Luke 4 as the passages that would be preached at these services - the formal moment when he became a pastor in the PCUSA, and when he was the pastor at South Jacksonville.

These aren't fuzzy, celebratory call texts. Instead, they're reminders of why we do the work in the first place. Rev. Joyce Lieberman unpacks these passages both for the church, and for Adam as well.

Put simply, this sermon is a balm for any pastor who has done the hard work of ministry, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Don't you love the feel good stories when there's a sweet child who sees some of their friends who see some of the friends can't eat because they can't afford to pay for it, and they raise money? GoFundMe successes?

They're wonderful until you start to ask why they have to do it in the first place. We explore that together with Luke 4 - Jesus' mission statement - in mind. Do feel good stories go sour when we are honest about the need for justice?

We're back this week with a new series to reflect on Ephiphanytide.

This is such an interesting kickoff to Jesus' ministry, isn't it? Pretty mundane circumstance, nothing terribly spectacular - especially when compared to feeding thousands and bring people back from the dead. But what does it reveal about God's character?

We also talk about Bill Strickland and the Manchester Bidwell Corporation. Learn more by going to: https://www.manchesterbidwell.org.

I'm not sure what else to offer in the description, except we all get worn down to the point of just saying "ugh" about our faith journey. COVID wave 1234812903 + disappointing anniversaries will do that.

Jeremiah 31, John 1.

On a Sunday when we welcome our most vulnerable to the front to lead us, the question should linger in our hearts: how do we help them grow in their journeys? If the statistics bear true, we aren't doing all we could for our youngest as they age. John provides us a meaningful response.

Sometimes, we try to go through life like we're driving with a poster in our windshield. It looks really nice but the second we go into motion, we're likely to crash.

Season 3 begins!

Why do we show up to church... I mean really? It's like we're afraid of the answer because it might not be all that great.

This Sunday, as we take Advent on its own terms, and not as just a drag until Christmas, we consider that part of the reason why we're here is to be sober-minded in community: recognize brokenness and continue to hope for more.

Rounding out our Stewardship series, we're honing in on one singular verse: John 21:25.

This fully-God, fully-human one is a being we hardly know from the conversations we witness, yet is so remarkable. What are the infinite miracles that stay unwritten? How are we part of those deeper miracles, weaving together a strong communal fabric? This was also our consecration Sunday where we offer our pledges.

What if the dreaded "budget sermon" wasn't something we tried to avoid? What if we took it on and saw the good in abundance?

This week, instead of just a budget conversation, we're in part talking about the pride of being part of a church reborn, full of new life.