Dear Caldwell, On Monday night, a few of us attended a meeting organized by the NAACP featuring two panels. We heard a number of important messages concerning community issues, public policy and policing. One of the strongest and most compelling, however, was from the mother of Jonathan Ferrell, who was shot and killed by a …
Dear Caldwell, Saturday night, a group of us had the chance to accept recognition of your constant striving to demonstrate the Lord’s hospitality and inclusion. Charlotte Black Gay Pride recognized this congregation with one of its Vision Awards. It was real vision for a handful of leaders who foresaw the need for an organization such …
Dear Caldwell, However familiar – or not – people are with scripture, many recognize the title of this blog from the 23rd Psalm. The ACE Sunday School class is reading a wonderful book I discovered a few years ago, titled “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23,” by W. Phillip Keller. Keller is an actual shepherd, …
Dear Caldwell, As we travel from Sunday to Sunday this week, I am drawn again to the psalms. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann has a wonderful book titled, “The Cycle of the Psalms.” He writes that the psalms, which express seemingly every aspect and emotion of the human experience, fit within three categories that suggest …
Dear Caldwell, It is good to be home now – with my family tonight and with our church family tomorrow. As a congregation, we have all now had a day to process yesterday’s session announcement about the decision to not renew Rev. Evie’s annual contract. While the session has struggled for months to reach this …
Dear Caldwell, It’s almost time to come home and I am ready. The time here for study has been rich and nurturing but also intense. As we travel from Sunday to Sunday this week, I’m so keenly aware of my separation from you, the church family (and my own family). I’m also keenly aware of …
Dear Caldwell, As we all take in the news behind this week’s tragedy in Charleston, I must say I feel a little “out of body” here in Florida as I am in two weeks of intensive classes. By that, I mean I feel separated from you, the body of Christ I serve. But we are …
Dear Caldwell, Tragedy greets us this morning as news about a shooting at an African-American Charleston church unfolds, and we turn to our Lord for help, strength and answers. The shooting has been called a hate crime. It triggers all kinds of questions and fears and suspicions, and the hours, days and weeks ahead will …
Dear Caldwell, As we travel from Sunday to Sunday this week, we may still be thinking about the bold but unstoppable Canaanite woman we got to know Sunday. She would not let Jesus turn her away and who, in the end, reminded Jesus of his divine calling. For many, her desire for Christ’s blessing bears …
Dear Caldwell, Jesus is portrayed in the gospels as a champion debater. He had to be. Whether it was the religious leaders of his day or the representatives of the powerful Roman occupying government, others were constantly trying to catch Jesus in a verbal trap. Time and again, however, Jesus bested them. He left them …
