by Christian Coon | Jan 30, 2020 | BLOG, Forgiveness, Grace
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:21-22, CEB) There are lots of ways to respond the question, Why do we do good things? Potential...
by Christian Coon | Jan 15, 2020 | BLOG, Holy Spirit, Surprise
God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8, Common English Bible) A common statement (m)uttered by new pastors when they enter...
by Christian Coon | Dec 31, 2019 | BLOG, Courage, Faith, Risk, Trust
That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. (John 21:7, NRSV) Several years ago, my family and I met up with my dad and...
by Christian Coon | Dec 14, 2019 | Advent, BLOG, Daily living, Jesus
Sometimes the Spirit takes hold while a preacher preaches and they go off script to make a point. I thought that was happening to me last Sunday as I was talking about how we love the baby Jesus, but that baby grows up to challenge and even threaten our comfortable...
by Christian Coon | Nov 29, 2019 | BLOG, Daily living, Goodness
As some of you know, in addition to my work at Urban Village Church, I’m currently pastoring River Forest United Methodist Church as we explore the potential of a partnership between the two congregations. A Montessori school uses River Forest’s building...
