This week, I have had the opportunity reflect on our youth at Highland and how they each live into this core value we share: “We value all people, not in spite of, but precisely because of all that makes each one unique.” … Continue reading
The casualties from dinner covered the table but Drew and I still occupied our seats as we slowly enjoyed my first-ever batch of homemade ice cream (delicious!). The boys were busy karate-jumping into a pillow fort in the basement, which … Continue reading
Monday night’s drive thru “Thank you!” for Jim England and all the many gifts he has shared with us through these 2 ½ years of interim time was an absolute delight! It was beyond good to see your faces, to … Continue reading
When I first considered what to offer in this space, I landed on a famous essay by philosopher Peter Singer. In “Famine, Affluence, and Morality,” which you can find on Google and read in full, Singer attempts to recast our … Continue reading
Here at Highland, “We value a courageous, progressive theology whose relevance extends from the pew to the street, that engages both the mind and the heart, and that welcomes everyone from the skeptic to the devoted.” This statement from our … Continue reading
June heat filled the summer evening. The air felt appropriate for a church picnic with iced lemonade and kids running in Hogan’s Fountain. But I put on my thick black robe instead of my flip flops. Standing outside on the … Continue reading
At the start of this interim journey, Bob Belcher gave me a picture of a highway in the desert with hills in the distance. That picture has sat on my desk for the last 2½ years reminding me of this … Continue reading
What a historic week in the life of Highland this has been! Looking back on this past weekend and to Sunday, after 30 months of interim life, it feels almost like a dream where I have woken up wondering, “did … Continue reading
I was raised in the Baptist church and spent the first half of my young adult life in the Presbyterian church. In 1987, after my mother’s death, I became very disillusioned and walked away from the church. I decided that … Continue reading
This week, Mary Alice Birdwhistell has finally arrived. You will each have to decide for yourself if she is the one to serve as Highland’s next pastor. One beauty (and risk) of Baptist life and polity, for those who have … Continue reading