08-25-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 25, 2024
I am writing this as I make my return trip to Houston from Chautauqua, NY. It was an amazing week, though describing the experience is challenging. There is an X Factor that, in my opinion, can only be understood through a firsthand experience. There are a number of those kinds of things in life, and Chautauqua is one of them. There were seven of us from Cypress Creek Christian Church, and though there were many powerful moments, the preaching is what lifted my soul. The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III is powerful in both his style of preaching and his thoughtful content. Throughout the worship services, there were numerous God moments. As a preacher, I find myself often critiquing sermons from a more academic standpoint. This past week, there was not a moment to put myself in the mindset to evaluate and judge the structure or flow of the sermon. Each sermon captured me, and before I knew it, I was fully involved in the message. God was there! In John 10:37, Jesus says to his disciples, “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” Each morning when Rev. Moss III began to speak, it was like hearing the voice of Jesus, and often that voice had a challenging word for me. 

Whatever or whoever it might be, Merciful God, I pray for you to speak a good and inspiring word to my heart and mind. I believe the Living Word of Jesus can be encountered in practically any moment of life, assuming my heart and mind have been made available. So maybe that is where I need to begin. Amen.