In The Liturgy of the Ordinary, Tish Harrison Warren speaks of the Church as a community of both Word and Sacrament, but she notes that evangelical Protestants usually pay far more attention to the Word—spoken, written, and proclaimed—than to the sacraments of baptism and holy communion. The central place of preaching among evangelicals celebrates the power of God’s Word, a Word that doesn’t merely express something but actually does something. Creation happens by an act of speech: God said, “Let there be…” (Genesis 1:3), and at his Word the world came into being (Hebrews 11:3). We will never understand what it means to speak of God’s Word as long as we think of it only in terms of writte

When I was young, my parents told me I was adopted, that they had waited a long time to get me, and had to save a significant amount of money to pay for adoption costs. A lot of people have asked how I reacted to knowing I was adopted, and I’ve told them I always felt a little special knowing that I came at a bit of sacrifice, cost, and surprise. One of the funny legends regarding my arrival was that The Methodist Mission Home in San Antonio called my parents in Houston to tell them they had a little boy, so they stopped and purchased a blue and white gingham cowboy baby outfit, complete with miniature leather holster diaper pins, and hit the road. When they arrived, they were surprised to

An eclectic set of dishes, pots and storage-ware has found a temporary home on top of the bookshelf in our kitchen, serving as a quiet but powerful reminder of love, care and community. Each piece represents a meal brought to our home; a sacrifice of time, an investment in the well-being of my family and an offer of help during a difficult moment. Since I slipped last month on a patch of black ice on our front walk and landed on my head, I’m basically ​Lucille Austero​. The most productive things I’ve done are monitoring dust buildup on my bedside table and tracking the amount of gray in my hair as my roots grow out. The prescribed course of treatment for my injury was a couple staples

I have always had a fascination with the names of God. I mean, there are quite a few of them: 948 names and titles of God are spread throughout the Bible. A few we are easily familiar with. El Shaddai means “God Almighty” and speaks to God’s ultimate power over all. Elohim means “Creator, mighty and strong.” From the Bible’s first sentence, the nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence. Yahweh-Joreh means “the Lord will provide”, and is the name promised by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. And for me, every name was and is a promise of who God was, is and will continue to be. The names of God have become a foundation

I’m an addict. There, I said it for everyone to read. I have many addictions: food, watching TV, my cell phone, my computer, and shopping. I’ve always told myself, “At least I don’t have a drug or alcohol problem,” but having a long list of addictions is still a problem that gets in the way. In the way of what? It gets in the way of being real; leaning in to be in the presence of God. In reading Tish Harrison Warren’s book Liturgy of the Ordinary, I’m learning that my addictions are bad habits or rituals that I’ve become comfortable with in my daily living. We are shaped everyday by practices, rituals, and liturgies that make us who we are. I needed to look in the mirror and set a new paradi