ECCLESIOLOGIC AL ETCHINGS
August 31, 2025
In her book, Sisters in the Wilderness, Womanist theologian Delores Williams writes about the wilderness and how frightening it can be. Yet she goes on to talk about survival in the wilderness requiring God-given resources like resiliency, hope, and determination if life and faithfulness are to be sustained in the face of fear. I appreciate how she does not dismiss fear as a reality, especially when we are unexpectedly thrust into a physical, spiritual, or emotional wilderness. With that in mind, there are tools we can acquire and learn, provided we don’t wait until we find ourselves in a precarious situation, feeling afraid. A significant part of our worship involves honing our skills, preparing us for the inevitable moments that will undoubtedly come our way. I look forward to seeing you in worship today.

Teach me and encourage me, while also being patient with me. You know what is necessary better than I do, so I trust you, Strong and Compassionate God, to show me what I need to work on this day. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGIC AL ETCHINGS
August 30, 2025
It might be because school is starting, but I woke up about 30 minutes before my alarm yesterday and had a momentary panic as I thought it was Sunday. The sermon was not done, I had not sent out the worship material to the worship participants, and it was about 45 minutes later than I usually get up on Sundays. I’m sure the wave of anxiety lasted less than 15 seconds, but in that short period of time, I think my heart rate went from a nice resting 55 beats/minute to an aerobic level of 125 beats/minute. I was the kid who had the dreams during the school year that left me confused and anxious about a school assignment that was due, but I had not even read the book. The fear caused in those moments was rather intense, yet it was altogether unnecessary. It was conjured up entirely inside my imagination, yet in that small window, it was real. 

How often are we made to feel afraid of something that is not real, yet for a period of time, we experience sleeplessness and unnecessary stress? Or how often do we find ourselves anxious about something completely outside of our control, or maybe what we are focusing on is 36 steps down the road, and depending on what happens in the next few steps, the thing down the road causing stress may in fact never happen? Most of us are susceptible to fear, which is indeed a part of what it means to be human, at least when considering the physiological definition of fear. However, as I’ve mentioned before, fear can serve one of two purposes: as information or as an engine. Fear can awaken us to something important that demands our immediate attention. Conversely, fear as an engine, that immediate reaction, can lead us astray. Regrettably, those who exploit fear in a manipulative way are hoping to suck us in and take us where we don’t need to go. 

​Tomorrow in worship, we will be revisiting fear, remembering the central teaching of scripture—from angels to prophets to Jesus himself—“Do not fear!” I am one who believes those words are sound advice coming from God, yet often the declaration to “fear not” is followed by some rather unsettling news or requests. When we think of it in that context, I believe it is an invitation to be faithful in spite of any anxiety that might be found within us. It is a request by God, even when the faithfulness might demand a great deal of us, to be defined by God’s immeasurable love and not by the intense fear that initially sought to creep its way into our hearts and minds.

Provide me, O Great God of Heaven, the necessary faith and courage to step forward in faith, believing that even when situations are scary, I am never left alone. You are forever with me. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 29, 2025
I won’t go into the details, but yesterday afternoon, I set down the things I was holding in my hands so I could unlock a door for some folks. There was a piece of wood where I was setting down the items, and I got a rather large splinter under my fingernail. Ouch! Double ouch!! As splinters go, it was pretty big. Yet in the whole scheme of things, it was a small piece of wood. It’s amazing how something so small can be so painful. In Matthew 7, Jesus talks about removing the log from your own eye before attempting to remove the splinter (sometimes translated as speck) from your neighbor’s eye. As I tried to remove the splinter from my own finger, it was initially sort of challenging. It was sticking out, yet my chubby little fingers couldn’t quite grasp it. Not only is it hypocritical to ignore the log in your own eye as you pursue the splinter in your neighbor’s eye, but you’re going to need to remove the log so you can actually focus on the splinter. The splinter in the eye might in fact be more irritating, even painful, than the log. However, if you are asked to help with the splinter in your neighbor’s eye, you’re going to need all the help you can get, including an unobstructed view. 

Whenever I am invited to help, I want to bring my best self to the task. Provide me, Creator God, with self-awareness, as I do not want to bring injury because of my own hypocrisy. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 28, 2025
I am once again heartsick by the violence all around us. The shooting in Minneapolis grieves me to the bone, but the violence is not isolated to that one event here and there. Gaza continues to experience horrific and unnecessary violence, so much of it perpetrated against children. The ongoing war in Ukraine is senseless as more and more civilians appear to be targeted. The ongoing Civil War in Sudan has killed thousands, and it is estimated that more than eight million people have been displaced. And like Gaza, there is a great concern in Sudan about starvation. Ethiopia, Myanmar, and so many other places are seeing acts of violence that are leaving civilian populations at more and more risk. Yet with all the many situations of violence around the globe, research shows that the world is less violent today as compared to the past, both recent and ancient. I find that information fascinating, but it does not provide me with any comfort. There is a part of me that is frustrated beyond measure. We should be so much smarter than what the violence suggests. I don’t want to oversimplify, but a lot of the violence emerges out of very insecure people who have been told that “those people over there” are the cause of all the world’s trouble. If we can only destroy them or push them further back, then everything will be ok. Well, as you know, violence rarely brings about anything that even remotely resembles ‘ok.’ Someone must have the courage to break the cycle. And I would suggest that the cross was to be the event, God's self-giving through which the cycle of human violence was to be broken. It was to be a symbol of senseless violence, perpetrated entirely out of fear, against the incarnation of love. Yet the resurrection points to a God who unequivocally announces that love is the way and the truth by which the world will be healed and transformed. Sadly, Christianity has made the cross into things it was never intended to be, even a symbol used to lead armies into battle or brand those deemed to be heathens. It is a bit baffling how an act of self-giving love in the face of violence could become a tool of violence that seeks to erase the profound importance of self-giving love.

May your church, inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit, be unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who did not die because you, God, were somehow violent. Instead, he was executed because the world is violent, and the way of violence always seeks to eradicate any appearance of unconditional love. Provide us discerning hearts that we might perceive a different reality—your Kin(g)dom breaking into this world through acts of self-giving love. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 27, 2025
My friend, Rev. Michael Dunn, posted an old quote from the late Bishop John Shelby Spong. The Bishop said, 

“God is not a Christian. God is not a Jew or a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist. I honor my tradition. I walk through my tradition. But I don’t believe my tradition defines God. It only points me to God.” 

Like a lot of things Spong said and wrote, this is one of those that will make some people uncomfortable. I, on the other hand, find great comfort in his words. On those rare occasions when humility is more fully present in my life, I am able to learn so much about God, faith, and myself through others who might have a dramatically different starting place. And in spite of what some may say, I find that all the religions I have interacted with have a genuine passion for love of God and love of neighbor. Of course, every religion was shaped by its unique origin story, often pushing back against some cultural shift. And then, over time, each of those religions began to institutionalize, often putting structure and adherence to a list of rules above its commitment to love. And then as the years go by, each religion has moments of reformation, some that emerge from a desire to return to some earlier way of believing, and other times emerging from a desire to remain relevant in the midst of a changing culture. Of course, depending on the age of the religion, this shifting and pushing and splitting can occur numerous times. Christianity is no exception. In fact, we might have fought and split more than any other religion, though that’s just a guess. With all of that said, I do find it a bit arrogant for any religion to suggest that it has God figured out. Don’t you think such a claim makes God laugh?

Holy God, what I know of you and what I believe I have discovered in Jesus is magnificent. Yet if at the heart of your being lies love, I can only imagine that you would be filled with joy whenever love finds its way into this world through tangible expressions of kindness, compassion, mercy, and justice. Bless all those who seek to bring love to life, even if their take on religion is a bit different from my own. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 26, 2025
I saw something yesterday that cracked me up. I have been chuckling about it all day. I took a picture and have shown it to others. Guess what? No one else thinks it is at all humorous. If you are wondering whether I know that my sense of humor is weird, I am fully aware of the oddity that is Bruce Frogge. And how Bruce’s brain works, including my sense of humor, would baffle even the greatest neuroscientists. Yet despite not finding anyone to enjoy what I thought to be quite funny, I am continuing to chuckle and fully enjoy what I thought to be funny. 

In Psalm 139, according to the translation called the Message, we find the words: 

I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!

I find the spectrum of weirdness in our world to be wonderful. And if you are concerned about my use of the word weird (weirdness), I place not only my sense of humor in that category, but a lot of who I am. When I was fourteen years old, I tried to hide a lot of what made me Bruce. Some of it was my insecurity as a person, but a lot of it was my inability to accept who I was. And even more so was the fear that others would not. In today’s world, I meet a lot of people who might not necessarily fit society’s definition of normal or acceptable, but their uniqueness awakens my curiosity. And in a lot of situations, what I originally did not understand, I came to appreciate. Alongside my curiosity, I also appreciate myself. While it still requires some work, I can resonate with the words from Psalm 139: “I am marvelously made, both body and soul. What a creation!” With all my quirks, if I can view them as part of God’s wonderfully diverse creation, I can probably share that same theological insight when meeting others.

I do thank you, Marvelous God. You truly are breathtaking! I give thanks for the marvelous way I have been woven together, even that stuff that causes others to scratch their heads. It might be weird, but it’s my weird, and I am going to celebrate that you love me… not in spite of the weirdness. You love me because you love me. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 25, 2025
Prayer for the Week: Christ Jesus proclaimed a feast of grace for all. Christ Jesus fed a multitude with a feast of grace. Christ Jesus fed those who would betray him at a feast of grace. Christ Jesus invited his followers to do even greater things than he had done. Holy and Magnificent God, we see in Jesus the one who invited us to the table for a feast of grace, and our hearts are full of gratitude. And today, we pray for the kind of faith that will proclaim this feast of grace, feed a multitude with a feast of grace, and even include those who would betray us at the feast of grace. If we find such faith, it will only be through the power of your Spirit, yet what we will discover is the capacity to do even greater works than Christ Jesus did in his life. We pray this prayer with both humility and anticipation. Amen. 

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 24, 2025
It’s Sunday! Bring an attitude of expectation this day, for the God who invites us together for worship plans to make it worth our while. I’m not suggesting that what God has in store for you or for me is going to blow us away, but it might just be what we are needing. Though a single worship experience can change someone’s life, I tend to think that worship week after week, month after month, and year after year is what helps God shape us into the people God created us to be. Trust me when I say that many things in the world around us are doing an exceptional job of trying to shape us into people who do not model the life and teachings of Jesus. Actually, a number of things are trying to shape us into jerks who don’t have any capacity for empathy and definitely have no interest in humility and kindness. I hope you come with an attitude of expectation, for the God of unconditional and unrelenting love will utilize music, ritual, fellowship, the spoken word, and prayer to strengthen our capacity to live as Jesus followers beyond the hour or two we will spend together this day.

You are good and gracious, O God of promises fulfilled. You called us into being, and you continue to call us into the fullness of what it means to be a human being. Bless us as we seek to model our lives around Jesus, celebrating your Spirit’s guidance and support in that work. May our worship, infused with your Spirit, be one of the key tools you use. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 23, 2025
Tomorrow is Sunday, and in worship, we are going to be focusing our attention on praise. I know, it sounds a little redundant. The Hebrew word (the Old Testament) we often translate as praise is yadah. It is a word associated with the hand, and it literally means to throw something away from yourself, like a rock. But the idea, in regard to our relationship with God, is to extend our hands in thanksgiving or to cry out to God with the wringing of one’s hands. It’s interesting how praise, at least when translating this Hebrew word, is less vocal and more body-oriented. I don’t know about you, but when I think about praising God, it is often with singing or joyful shouting, but if your praise is yadah, then you are going to be moving your body. In the Greek (the New Testament), one of the words translated as praise is doxazó, which means to glorify, honor, or render something as excellent. That sounds like something done with your voice, though I guess you could honor God with your life, specifically your actions. There are other Hebrew and Greek words sometimes translated as praise, including the idea of heaping on or covering over something, like you are gushing over God. I sort of like that as well. In scripture, praise is sometimes expressed within the larger worshiping community, while other times it occurs within the context of family or even by someone alone. However, I believe we should be cautious about narrowly defining praise, as this could limit how individuals perceive their ability to express themselves before God. Additionally, it’s important to avoid thinking of praising God as a means of earning God’s affection or obtaining God’s favor. This perspective portrays God as a narcissist who craves human attention to flatter the divine ego, which feels like sucking up. If that’s the nature of God, I don’t believe I want to associate with such a deity. Ultimately, I’m not concerned. God appears to be far more sophisticated and healthy than that.

With gratitude bubbling up within, O Amazing God, I bring forth words of praise and a life that seeks to honor you. May the love I feel for you continue to stretch toward you, the Source of Love. This is my hope! Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 22, 2025
I’m not wanting to argue the politics… maybe another day, but I was both fascinated and deeply troubled by a proposal to require “good moral character” for anyone who is seeking to become a naturalized citizen. In theory, I believe most all of us are in favor of good moral character for everyone, not just those seeking citizenship. But isn’t that subjective? For my grandparents, right at the top of the list for good moral character would be absolutely no drinking. And not only did they oppose drinking, but they wanted to see the Eighteenth Amendment reinstated—outlawing all alcohol. I had a fascinating conversation with someone during my sabbatical who felt that out-of-wedlock pregnancy was the greatest moral flaw in our culture, and though he wasn’t too sure how to do it, this man felt like it should be outlawed—some sort of prison sentence, at least for the father. And of course, most of the Founding Fathers of this country were slaveowners, and at that time, owning slaves was never considered at odds with good moral character. All three of those examples are sort of extreme, but I use them to ask HOW exactly do we determine “good moral character” and WHO makes that determination? In a free society, respectful of religious pluralism, following the law is what most of us would describe as a good starting place, but then you have those who have protested the laws of this country during Women’s Suffrage, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Anti-War Movement, even choosing to be arrested in what they believed to be an act of moral duty. And of course, Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and many other early followers of Jesus were arrested and even executed for not showing good moral character, at least according to the Roman Empire. This is all to say it is complicated, and though I have my own definition of what good moral character might be, I am having a hard enough time living up to my own standards. I don’t know if I am quite ready to impose my definition on others, and I am guessing there would be many people who would disagree with my definition.

Continue to encourage my exploration of your high standards of moral and ethical living, O Lord. I pray for necessary strength to be the example you have called me to be—never imposing, only choosing to model for others. Thanks, O Spirit of Tenacity, for all your help. Amen.