Posted on

A New Way of Life

There’s a startling meme at the begining of this blog.  I’m coming back to it,  really!!

Being a Christian is not just about what we believe – it is a way of life! We’ve been talking about this at Holy Cross as we are in a season we are calling, “Loving our Neighbors Near and Far”. We are trying to move beyond the meme. You know what a meme is? – One of those pithy statements on a picture that is also pretty pointed that people post on Facebook or Instagram. It’s a ‘thought for the day’ – but usually with a twist or a nudge.  Sometimes its downright meanspirited. I’ve included one with this blog that gets my attention!

What if we stopped living for the meme moment?  What if we spent less time ‘liking’ comments other people made and spend more time living a life of love? Yes, I’ll be first in line for that – at least today. Continue reading “A New Way of Life”

Posted on

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things

Today’s blog is written by guest bloggers, Steve and Naomi Tweet. They will be sharing this essay during worship this coming Sunday, October 13th.

Naomi and I were asked to talk about ordinary people who do extraordinary things.  As part of a church, the two of us have seen how God uses each of us, though we are just one, in ways that have lasting effect. And as we thought about this subject some more, we realized we wanted to talk about one person –  someone we knew well, my Dad, Arthur Orlando Tweet.  It is really a story many of you could tell in one form or another about one of your loved ones or friends, who without fanfare did some extraordinary things. Continue reading “Ordinary people doing extraordinary things”

Posted on

Loving our Neighbors, Near and Far

This week’s blog is written by a guest writer – Joyce Hanson Saul, member of Holy Cross and Stewardship chairperson.

Last spring when Al and I were returning from AZ, we stopped for a late dinner in Bullhead City at McDonald’s (egg McMuffin).  We watched the positive interaction of a family near us: young father (black), young mother (white) and four children about ages of 18 months to 10 years, all eating cheese burgers.  Conversation, humor, and no cell phones! Continue reading “Loving our Neighbors, Near and Far”

Posted on

Collaboration – or changing the world?

“So, I guess we’re at ‘your place’ this week?” the smiling man from one of the other churches said to me yesterday. Three churches here in Salem, Oregon are doing something different – we’re trying to ‘up our game’ when it comes to collaboration. We are all three members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – a denomination that was formed in 1988 out of 3 predecessor church bodies. Back in 1988, the ALC, the LCA and the AELC got together to create a denomination that would better serve the neeeds of the folks who come to church, but, in my opinion, more importantly, to better serve the world that God has charged us to serve.  That’s the real story of Lutheranism, if you ask me. Martin Luther said, “God does not need your good works. Your neighbor does.” Can I get an AMEN? So, what is the purpose of collaboration between churches in general, and with these three churches in Salem, specifically? Continue reading “Collaboration – or changing the world?”

Posted on

Tenderhearted

 and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.  Ephesians 4:32 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

I know where I was on 9/11/2001. I bet you do too. My husband, Gary Hoenshell, and I were getting ready for work in Flagstaff, Arizona, and the Today show was on the TV in the background. We stopped getting ready and focused on the TV for what seemed like hours. Then we went to work. I was the Sexual Assault Educator at Northern Arizona University, and I had an important committee meeting that day. We had it anyway, mostly because I thought we ought to be together, in solidarity. I had been a seminarian (part time) for about a year at that point, and I remember thinking “I ought to know what to say to people – from a God perspective” But I didn’t really know.  Continue reading “Tenderhearted”