Liz Cooledge Jenkins

Tag: community

  • Who can add a cubit?

    And who from among y’all, by worrying, is able to add one cubit to their stature? -Jesus (Matt 6:27, my translation) Now that I’ve spent a minute reflecting on Jesus’ words about how worry (or at least the bad kind of worry) doesn’t add single hour to anyone’s span of life, I have a small…

  • Is it adding an hour?

    And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? -Jesus (Matt 6:27) I’m still teasing out all the random thoughts I had while preparing a sermon a couple months ago on Matthew 6:25-34, the passage where Jesus tells people not to worry and such. So, after some speculations…

  • Worry can be good?

    When I was studying Matthew 6:25-34 to preach on it (see the post below for the full passage…and mini-sermon), I looked up the Greek word translated as “worry.” I wanted to see where else this word is used in the New Testament. I was surprised to find that it can be used in a positive…

  • Learn from the wildflowers: a mini-sermon on Matthew 6:25-34

    Thankful for the opportunity to give another short sermon at Lake B a couple weeks ago. I’m always glad to have opportunities to preach – but really I’m mostly grateful to have been pushed to think a lot about this text. Matthew 6:25-34 was actually one of the texts that I came up with as…

  • Look At Us: a short sermon on Acts 3:1-11

    Thankful for another opportunity to join an awesome team of preachers at Lake B and give a mini-sermon on Acts 3:1-11. Here’s the passage, and then the sermon text is below! (Or if you prefer to listen/watch, the worship service is on YouTube here, and my part starts around 34:00. Stick around for David Meade…

  • Super chill book review: Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God (Kaitlin B. Curtice)

    After most recently writing about a couple of old-school(-ish) books, it feels like a good time to come back to the present. Kaitlin B. Curtice is my age, and her very-much-worth-reading book Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God was published in 2020.  I found Curtice’s reflections on grappling with Christian faith as a young woman…

  • The illusion of independence: Jesus, to the Laodiceans

    Here’s a literal translation of Revelation 3:14-22—Jesus’ words to the last of the seven churches featured in the first few chapters of Revelation. (14) And to the angel of the church in Laodicea, write; these things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of the creation of God; (15) I know your…

  • Where is the love?

    Continuing in the book of Revelation, in this apocalypse that is 2020… Here’s a pretty literal translation of Revelation 2:1-7: To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write: these things says the one grasping the seven stars in his right hand, who walks around in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: (2) I…

  • Beyond Judging Doug: a mini-sermon on the parable of the talents

    I had another chance to give an eight minute mini-sermon at (online) church this past Sunday. The text is below if you’re interested, or feel free to watch the video here. My part starts around 39:57. Esther Lee before me (starting around 33:43) and Michael Won after me (starting around 48:44) both have great things…

  • How Far We Were

    How Far We Were I did not know      how far we were          from one another til 2020 blasted into light     the light years that had always          been between us, like a looking glass      intent on showing         wrinkled scars  where we expected to      see youth.          Sometimes  I wish I did not know     how much we do…