A lot of self-help books teach us that growth is the function of increasingly acquired skills, more relationships and expanded networks, sound investing and ways to create more streams of revenue, more degrees…that type of stuff. All great advice, and all operating under a similar basic assumption: Growth is about adding to what you already […]
“There must be always remaining in every man’s life some place for the singing of angels — some place for that which in itself is breathlessly beautiful and by an inherent prerogative, throwing all the rest of life into a new and creative relatedness — something that gathers up in itself all the freshets of […]
University Church has a long history of commitment to international partnerships that reflect our mission “to act for justice and to respect creation” by reaching out to brothers and sisters in Christ beyond our immediate community and nation. For a decade now, University Church has been in partnership with the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola […]
About a year ago I was freshly married, freshly crowned a “Master of All Things Divine” (that’s what we call the M.Div, to ward off depression), and about to start my first job. Yep, this small church in Hyde Park had called me to be their senior minister – a risk for all parties involved. […]
Inventors of technology are known for stuff and not ideas. From Ben Franklin to Eli Whitney to Nicola Tesla to Bill Gates: each of these people we associate with a thing. Steve Jobs was no different. Say the name “Steve Jobs” to someone sitting next to you and ask what pops up. They are inevitably […]
(taken from the September 2011 Messenger) Well, not exactly. But the board and I did meet on September 8th to do a bit of visioning as we move forward into the Fall and *sigh* Winter. A potluck was involved, per University Church custom (our translation of Matthew 18:20 reads, “Where two or three are gathered, […]
I’m not a fan of when people say, “We’re getting there!” That usually indicates that wherever “we” are is inadequate, or that the finish line is still faaaaroff (it also assumes that we know where this magical finish line is). Whenever someone has said, “You’re getting there” to me, it was in context of the […]
Reprinted from May 2011 Messenger Life happens too quickly. I swear that I was 8 years old like, 2 hours ago, and this week another birthday arrives to remind me how far from that little boy I’ve come. Call it progression…(perhaps). Near my birthday I tend to gather up my life and see “where I […]
This year’s all-church retreat’s theme, Worthy Dreams, will be a time to reflect, to get acquainted with University Church worshipers of all ages, relax, play, and dream. Date: March 18-20, 2011, beginning Friday evening and ending after lunch Sunday. Place: Tower Hill Camp and Retreat Center, Sawyer, Michigan Cost: $110, adult; $70, child; $25, one day; […]
Throughout the Bible — such as with Job who wonders why bad things happen to good people, and with Jonah who wonders why good things happen to bad people — the use of ashes and the donning of sackcloth is seen as signs of one’s repentance. The symbolic use of ashes in this sense continues today as […]
