The Heart Needs A Witness

Two weekends ago, I spent four days in a Grief and Loss Recovery Training where I did 40 hours of professional development and a heap of my own personal work too. In my role as a mental health chaplain in Vallejo, in my encounters with many of you here at Grace, in my...

Signature Scriptures

“Have this mind in you”, says the apostle Paul, “that was in Jesus Christ, who though being in the form of God did not think equality with God something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave being born in human likeness. And being found in...

Porous Denominations: A Vision for Unity

It has been a long time since I have given serious thought to the “scandal of denominations”. Sarah’s sermon on Sunday, however, brought it back to my attention, and I wondered if she was expressing a perspective of a new generation of Christian thinkers who have...

Love is a Mirror

Praying with Helen All This Time I was away last weekend on a retreat. It was scheduled a while back and came right on time in so many ways for me. While I wanted to be with you all here at Grace to bless our dear Helen, I needed to be away with myself even...

Prayer: The Ministry of Helen Christianson

“I have learned that prayer is not asking for what you think you want but asking to be changed in ways you can’t imagine. To be made more grateful, more able to see the good in what you have been given instead of always grieving for what might have been....