Posts from 2025 (Page 3)
Mission Update
CCSA Backpack Program Community Christian Service Agency (CCSA) is starting their annual program to provide backpacks for children in need. Information about what is needed is available here. Backpacks are prepared for either K to 2nd grade or 3rd to 9th grade. You purchase the backpack and then stock it with the supplies on the appropriate list. You can drop off the backpacks at the CCSA office in Clairemont, bring them to Sunday service or deliver them to our church…
Sermon Note: Unconditionally
Introduction As God Is in the Radio comes to a close, we arrive at a love that won’t let go. Throughout this series, we’ve journeyed through longing and fire, silence and sorrow, mystery and motion. We’ve listened for God in grief and in grace, in raw questions and unexpected harmonies. And now, we land where everything leads: the assurance that nothing—nothing—can separate us from the love of God. Our final song, “Unconditionally” by Katy Perry, offers a prophetic echo of…
Sermon Note: Mine All Mine
Introduction As God Is in the Radio draws to a close, we turn to one of the most unapologetic songs in the series: “Mine All Mine” by Van Halen. It’s a song that doesn’t hide behind metaphor or subtlety—it demands answers. It wrestles with big questions about truth, fulfillment, and what belongs to us. Scripture asks those questions, too. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells a story about a man who thought everything he had was his own—his crops, his wealth,…
Sermon Note: Let the Mystery Be
Introduction As we near the end of our God Is in the Radio series, we turn to “Let the Mystery Be” by Iris DeMent. It’s a quiet song with an honest message: faith doesn’t require us to have every answer. Instead, it invites us to acknowledge what we don’t know and allow ourselves to experience the wonder and complexity that still surround us. Scripture extends a similar invitation. From the ancient prophets to the teachings of Jesus, we encounter voices…
Sermon Note: Love Rescue Me
Introduction This week in God Is In the Radio, we turn to “Love Rescue Me,” a song written by U2 with Bob Dylan. It doesn’t shy away from sorrow or regret—but it also refuses to stay there. Beneath the ache runs a steady hope: the certainty that love can find us, lift us, and lead us home. That longing echoes in Psalm 23. These ancient words aren’t just meant for quiet comfort—they carry a promise. Even in the valleys, we’re…
Sermon Note: I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
Introduction This week in God Is In the Radio, we enter a quieter, more difficult space: the ache of loneliness, the weight of sorrow, the absence of answers. Psalm 22 opens with a cry that’s both ancient and familiar: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It’s a question that still echoes—not only in scripture, and in us. To help us sit with that question, we’re listening to “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” a song made famous…
Sermon Note: Thunder Road
Introduction This week’s message continues our God Is in the Radio series by pairing one of scripture’s most profound post-resurrection stories with Bruce Springsteen’s Thunder Road. In both, we meet people who are weary, searching, maybe even stuck. The disciples walk away from Jerusalem with hearts heavy from disappointment. The singer’s voice calls out to Mary from the porch—a voice offering invitation over certainty. Neither story gives us a clean resolution. What they offer instead is a chance: to step…
Mission Update
We started the year with our support of the Interfaith Network Shelter at PBUMC. If you remember, I had pulled back some with respect to my enthusiasm for the program because of the failure to provide sufficient and appropriate guests. It was better this year which made our contributions more valuable and more effective. We were major contributors to setting up and taking down the shelter. Our church provided dinners and overnight hosts during the two-week shelter. Our connection to PBUMC exists…
Sermon Note: Mysterious Ways
Introduction What if the Spirit doesn’t just speak—but moves? Last week, we launched a new series with the idea that God Is in the Radio—that divine presence might be pulsing through the static of everyday life, even in songs that never mention God’s name. This week, that theme deepens. It’s Pentecost, and instead of arriving quietly, the Spirit bursts into view like a rush of wind, tongues of fire, and voices that cannot be ignored. To mark this movement, we’re…
Sermon Note: God is In the Radio
Introduction What if God is speaking through the songs we already know? That’s the question we’re exploring in this new series, God is In the Radio. For the next several weeks, we’ll be listening with theological curiosity to music that wasn’t written for church—but might still hold sacred echoes. By pairing secular songs with scripture, we’re practicing spiritual listening—tuning our hearts to hear grace breaking through the static. This week’s message launches the series with the Queens of the Stone…
Our Campus Ministry Supports the Community of La Jolla
Yesterday, I received an email from our custodian, Victor, asking me to order more custodial supplies for our campus. He added a note by the trifold towels we use in the restrooms that said, “We are going through these quickly!” I replied right away, asking if we’re using them faster than we have in the past. Victor confirmed: yes—we are seeing many more people using the church now! Things were much quieter during the years we were dealing with COVID…
Sermon Note: Jesus Trending
Introduction It’s hard to know who’s telling the truth anymore. In an age of spin, soundbites, and algorithm-fed echo chambers, we’re constantly being asked to take sides—sometimes before we’ve even had a chance to think. And in a culture where truth is often twisted to serve the powerful, it can feel easier to stay quiet than to speak up. But Jesus doesn’t stay quiet. As we enter Holy Week with our #JesusTrending series, we find Jesus riding into Jerusalem in…