University Christian Church

I told my spiritual director just a few months ago that I had this revelation about my life. In December, I’m turning 40, and the strange thing is - it feels like I’m just now becoming confident in my skin, what I believe deep down, who I want to be. For too long in my life, I have either let other people define me or made choices based on fear of what others may think about me. But no more. Basically, it’s taken nearly 40 years to really begin to understand who I am. This morning, I’m inviting you to ask that...

On Wednesday night, I was sitting in a church meeting at our regional office. It was late. Past 9 PM. It had been a long day with a ton of stuff on my plate. So I tweeted out a mild complaint - “I’m stuck in a church meeting - someone get me out of here.” And one of my friends on Twitter, Jason Poon, replied: Someone preach the theology of the Sabbath to these people!! — Jason Poon (@jasonhpoon) August 30, 2018 Like many of you, I live a hectic life. As your pastor, my schedule is crowded with meetings and demands....

In recent years, the movies, tv shows, video games, and books that seem to grab us are apocalyptic movies - movies about the end of the world. They are everywhere - and they are all grim. Atomic bombs, alien invasions, zombie hordes, pollution, oppressive governments, zombie hordes, natural disasters, and even the dreaded Sharknado. These movies may be popular because the end of the world doesn’t seem so unimaginable in our time: When terrorist attacks can ravage peaceful streets When hackers can sway election results When climate change eats away at our coasts and stokes wildfires, hurricanes, and famine When oppression and injustice and violence...

What makes for good leadership? Right now, authors and academic types are claiming that the world is experiencing an uptick in authoritarianism. Larry Diamond of Stanford University in a media interview described it this way - “they can do whatever they want, they can repress and arrest and even murder whoever they want, they can rule as nastily as they want.” (and face no consequences) Across the world from the Philippines to Turkey to Poland and North Korea and maybe even right here at home, leaders are choosing to behave as bullies, cracking down on their opponents, trying to silence those who...

On this glorious, transcendent, happy day, with our praise music, Easter lilies, baptisms, and joy, I need to halt our festivities for just a moment. This morning, I want to challenge our default Easter attitude - It’s time to put a little terror back into Easter. Now, I know, for many of you, Easter is your favorite Sunday of the year. You are excited about that baked ham waiting for you at home, the triumphant melodies we will sing together, and those baskets of pretty colored eggs filled with candy. Why do we need to talk about terror on this day of all days? Well,...