Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and it’s not an accident that this Sunday we’ll finish our series on intimate relationships with “Closer than Close: Intimate Families.” Throughout the series I’ve tried to emphasize that all of our intimate human relationships can be understood in the context of the incarnation. Christianity is […]
Dear Members and Friends of MCC Austin,
Most of you know that we have a Name Team that has been leading us through a process for considering a new name for our church. The Team began its work a year ago by surveying the congregation to see if people were open […]
Today I’m writing about two of my great loves—words and Karen Carpenter. Yesterday I was listening to Christmas music, and though I usually keep the volume at a nice low background level, I turn it up when one of the great voices comes on. As I sat listening to “Merry […]
It’s been 44 years since a dozen brave souls decided to bring to Austin Rev. Troy Perry’s vision for a Christian church that didn’t just accept LGBTQ+ people, but celebrated them. Thank God that those brave souls, almost all of whom have now passed from this earthly life, were followed […]
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” Shakespeare penned centuries ago. I do not disagree. But I think, like many things, his claim is relative. Consider your grocery list—do you find yourself more excited about “coagulated milk protein” or “aged cheddar”? Would you rather spend […]
Last Thursday we got a call in the church office from a desperate wedding planner. She told us that the officiant the couple had hired had called the previous night and cancelled on them. The wedding was Saturday. Two days away.
I wasn’t available, but I offered the wedding planner several […]
As virtuous men pass mildly away,
And whisper to their souls to go,
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
“The breath goes now,” and some say, “No,”
A Valediction Forbidding Mourning by John Donne
I claimed resurrection for MCC—declared last Sunday that I would not accept resuscitation. You’ve been praying. Thousands have […]
In addition to celebrating Pentecost this Sunday and the many exciting REVEALS we’ll be making in conjunction with the “birthday of the church,” we have two important items that we want to make sure you know about.
First, the UFMCC Governing Board announced last week that it had “asked for and […]
I will forever be grateful to the Lily Corporation for awarding us a $27,000 grant to pay for my 3-month sabbatical earlier this year; to the MCC Austin board of directors and staff who led everything beautifully while I was gone; and to our congregation, especially our many ministry leaders, […]