Tag: Hope
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Shelter From the Rain
The other day, it was raining outside and I was walking into church. On the sidewalk outside of church, I saw a couple of children from our church: two brothers and their cousin. They came up to me, one of the boys holding an umbrella. As I often do when I speak with children, I…
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I almost gave up on someone, and I’m glad I didn’t
Like many inner-city ministries, we often have people show up who are at various levels of intoxication. We, as a rule, do not turn people away simply because they are drunk. If people come to a worship service intoxicated, or show up to our Saturday morning breakfast program intoxicated, they are welcome to join us…
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Connection with God in the Midst of Concrete and Steel
I often hear people talk about how they feel close to God while in nature: a forest, meadow, lake, ocean. It is in these areas that many people can often discern the fingerprints and footprints of God. I can definitely relate to this, however, I have also learned to be able to encounter God in…
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The City and the Redemption of Creation
I try not to talk or write about politics very often as a normal course of my ministry. My congregation is composed of people of all political stripes, and I strongly believe that no one political ideology has a corner on the Gospel. However, something has been disturbing me as of late about the Wisconsin…
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Our Greatest Need? Hope
Because of the nature of my ministry, and the fact that nearly all of our funding comes from outside sources, I find myself in contact with people from other churches in many different places and many different contexts. There is a question that is asked by almost everyone is some variant of “what is the…
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Pastoral Imagination
One thing, I will call it a spiritual discipline, that I am working on practicing is that of imagination. In order for me to minister effectively and to be an effective pastor, I need to have a vivid imagination when I view my world. It is very easy to look around my church and see…
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Walking the Neighborhood
Each week, usually on a Wednesday afternoon, I go for a walk around the neighborhood. I do it for several reasons. The first of which is that it helps me to toss around the scripture text for Sunday’s sermon in my mind, and allows me to get some fresh air in the process. Secondly, it…
Matthew van Maastricht 