Charles Spurgeon – Jackson Community Church

Reflections on journeys: identity, name and personhood at the border during times of change and passage

We know what we are, but not what we may be. ― William Shakespeare When I discover who I am, I’ll be free. ― Ralph Ellison The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. ― Mahatma Gandhi He allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human […]

Reflections on ravens: curiosity, creativity, and cultural messenger.

Songs about blackbirds and ravens (note: these are different species): Blackbird by The Beatles (rock)Blackbird Song by Lee DeWyze (ballad/blues)Raven Song by Elephant Revival (folk)Blackbird by Nina Simone (blues)The Raven by Alan Parsons Project (electronic rock pop based on Edgar Alan Poe’s work)Hear Me O God, Nor Hide Thy Face (Christian choral music)How Many Are Your Works (Christian hymn) — How sweetly did […]

Mon, Nov 16 Gratitude Reflection

Consider the earth. Give thanks for the ground beneath your feet. The glacier-driven cliffs and outcroppings, twisted into waterfalls and ledges, that shape our landscape. Imagine the rich soil that yields summer and autumn harvests. The fierce and ancient mountains, upthrust and worn low, that frame our valley. Stone. Soil. Rock. Dirt. May we […]

Reflections on covenants made with love, themes from 1 Corinthians 13.

This week we celebrate the renewal of Ray & Arden’s Wedding Vows during the year of their 60th anniversary: such vows are bound as a covenant made in the sight and presence of holy love (agape). This is our great covenant: To dwell together in peace,To seek the truth in love, And to help one […]

Reflections on prodigal love: themes from parable in Luke 15

When is love prodigal? When is it wasteful and exuberant to offer compassion and welcome though it may not be merited or appreciated? Some early theologians so feared this parable of prodigal love, that they decided it shouldn’t be told or taught … it offered a model that overturned good sense and economical, societal order. […]