True story: in the first congregation I served, there was a prominent family which always sat in the same pew, which happened to be the back pew on the side opposite the pulpit–as far away from the preacher as possible. It is a fact that the floor of the sanctuary sloped down to the corner where they sat, as if the cumulative…

Dear Friends, My favorite bike has been in the shop for the last few weeks. I blew out my freewheel for the second time in as many months, and the folks at my bike shop were kind enough to replace the broken part for free, but—typical of warrantee work—my wheel was somewhat low on their list of priorities, so it took a…

Friends, As the final days of Winter turn to Spring, taking with them the final possibility for significant rainfall this year, I find myself spiritually torn because I love this weather, yet—like every other Californian—I wish it would rain in Oakland and snow in Yosemite. So here is the question: is it possible, at the same time, to give thanks for the…

Friends, Here’s a confession only an American could make: I’m really happy the football season is over and Spring training has begun. In theory I like football. It is a game of strategy that combines great athleticism and skill. It is a team sport in which every player is needed and essential, but I don’t like what football has become, especially in…

Friends, As many of you know, I’ve been working on a book for as long as I’ve been the pastor of Montclair Presbyterian Church—actually my work on the book started about the same time I started talking to MPC about the possibility of moving to Oakland, and in many ways the book feels very connected to my move from San Jose to…

Friends, For years, I’ve been trying to figure out how to give up the use of tantalum capacitors for Lent, and I know this is sort of weird—most people give up things like alcohol or chocolate—but there’s a reason for my desire to pursue this nerdly spiritual discipline. Tantalum capacitors are necessary components for the production of the small electronic devices all…

Friends, Here are a couple of reasons why last Sunday was truly amazing. 1. During my time at MPC, last Sunday probably was the highest attendance we’ve had, and it was Super Bowl Sunday. Most congregations record their lowest attendance of the year on Super Bowl Sunday, even on the West Coast, but you, dear folks from MPC, have figured out that…

Friends, In celebration on Sunday, January 18th, I used a prayer that was written by Martin Luther King, and after the service, some used a white-card to suggest that I print the text of the prayer in the Contact. It seemed like a good idea to me; here is the prayer: Oh God, our gracious, heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the…

This Friday, I’ll be driving up to Mendocino so that on Saturday morning I can attend a memorial service for a woman named Nancy who was the mother of one of my childhood friends. Most of us understand that it takes a village to raise a child, and the woman whose life we’ll be honoring on Saturday was, like many of the…

Over the course of the next year most of my sermons will be taken from passages in the Gospel According to Mark. Mark’s Gospel is interesting because it was the first gospel written and it is one of the oldest books in the New Testament. As such, it was written at a time when early church’s ideas about who Jesus was were…