by Forrest Claassen | Reflections Blog
Last month Tom wrote of “telling the better story.” He spoke of “God’s alternative narrative,” which values forgiveness over winning and community over control (see Gil Rendle’s Doing the Math of Mission). Tom then described three beautiful examples of churches in Los...
by Tom Cramer | Reflections Blog
Long ago, before I knew much about the internal workings of churches or denominations, people who loved me told me stories about the person of Jesus, and that encounter changed everything for me. Their stories engaged my imagination to consider an alternative way to...
by Forrest Claassen | Reflections Blog
With apologies to the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem: Thoughts on the upcoming presbytery meeting. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter in Los Ranchos… a time to begin, and a time to end; a time to examine pastors for ordination,...
by Tom Cramer | Reflections Blog
Story-Telling Animals I once found myself in a silly discussion about what makes humans different than animals. One person argued that it was because animals don’t use tools and humans do. Another asserted it was because humans communicate with each other. And another...
by Forrest Claassen | Reflections Blog
On December 30, Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church of Laguna Woods, a “new” church development in Los Ranchos, celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. The celebration happened in a joint worship service with Geneva Presbyterian Church, where they now worship. Six...
by Tom Cramer | Reflections Blog
“In the beginning, God created…” begins the narrative that shapes our lives. And now, at Advent, we wait expectantly for something new to happen, the birth and return of creation’s Savior. I recall another birth that that took my breath away. Don’t Give Up on Me While...
