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Patheos Featured Writers
Works by Bruce Epperly
Adventurous Lectionary - Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost...
Bruce Epperly | September 18, 2021
...
The Footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare: First Steps on...
Bruce Epperly | September 26, 2018
...
Adventurous Lectionary - Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost...
Bruce Epperly | September 14, 2018
...
Read an Excerpt From "Loosely Christian"
Bruce Epperly | October 05, 2015
"Christ is on the loose, showing up where we least expect it, and this is our calling......
Wherever There is Truth, God is its Source: On 'The Gospel...
Bruce Epperly | September 15, 2015
...
Refreshing the Pastor’s Soul: In Conversation with Michael...
Bruce Epperly | September 09, 2014
...
Illness and Aging as Spiritual Issues: A Response to David...
Bruce Epperly | September 30, 2013
...
Process Theology: A Beginner's Guide
Bruce Epperly | January 03, 2012
Theologian Bruce Epperly offers an introduction to process theology - a relational,......
New Year's Transformation
Bruce Epperly | December 26, 2011
Try these spiritual affirmations drawn from the Bible to renew your mind and heart in......
Of Souls and Saints: Celebrating All Saints and All Souls...
Bruce Epperly | October 27, 2011
The autumn holidays provide us with the opportunity to give thanks -- as well as forgive......
A Church Always Reforming: Reflections on Reformation Day
Bruce Epperly | October 23, 2011
In the spirit of the Protestant Reformers, what might the five "solas" of the......
The Adventurous Seminary: Holistic, Relational, and...
Bruce Epperly | October 17, 2011
Seminaries need to be prudent risk-takers, constantly looking for creative and revenue......
Seeking God's Shalom: Reflections on Labor Day
Bruce Epperly | August 23, 2011
Labor Day celebrates the prophetic concern for justice for the hardworking, poor, and......
More Education, Less Faith?
Bruce Epperly | August 08, 2011
Contrary to popular opinion, education actually deepens our spirituality while widening......
Can America Still Do Great Things?
Bruce Epperly | August 02, 2011
Can a nation have a vocation? If so, what does ours look like?...
Are You Being Fed? Church Going and Obesity
Bruce Epperly | July 13, 2011
Our waistline will not exclude us from God's care. But it may prevent us from fulfilling......
God, Freedom, and the Fourth of July
Bruce Epperly | July 01, 2011
If we affirm a god of unlimited and unbounded love, we will no longer be able to call......
Books, Baseball, and Long Walks: A Father's Day Reflection
Bruce Epperly | June 15, 2011
There is little need for shock, awe, or fireworks in parenting. Good parenting comes......
Is Progressive Christianity a Theological Movement?
Bruce Epperly | June 13, 2011
While progressives might nuance their affirmations in different ways, here are some key......
Mystical and Missional: A Spirit-Inspired Pentecost
Bruce Epperly | June 07, 2011
A recent Pew Center Report notes that 50 percent of mainstream Protestants claim to have......
Praying for Your Congregation
Bruce Epperly | June 01, 2011
The more I pray for a congregation as a whole and for the "problem people" in my......
Going Up? Reflections on Ascension Day
Bruce Epperly | May 29, 2011
Of course, it’s not out of the question that Jesus defied gravity, but is that the real......
Memorial Day and the Spirit of Sacrifice
Bruce Epperly | May 17, 2011
What sacrifices are you called to make for the greater good -- in your family, among......
Facing Doomsday: Reflections on May 21 "Judgment Day"
Bruce Epperly | May 11, 2011
When someone tells me Jesus is coming again, I usually respond, "Yes, he is," and then......
Breathing with the Risen Jesus: Reflections on John...
Bruce Epperly | April 26, 2011
Have you ever noticed the spiritual energy that emerges, the peace that arises, when you......
Celebrating Resurrection
Bruce Epperly | April 18, 2011
Resurrection is not a violation of the cause and effect laws of nature, but a revelation......
Living through Holy Saturday
Bruce Epperly | April 15, 2011
After the shock of death, or words that bring despair ("cancer," "divorce," "we're......
Shouting Hosanna in Ministry
Bruce Epperly | April 10, 2011
Hosannas balance the pain and conflict of Holy Week. True faith embraces sadness, grief......
Claiming God's Healing Light: Lenten Reflections on John 9
Bruce Epperly | March 29, 2011
The sight-impaired man in John 9 trusts Jesus, but he also claims his own role in the......
Quench Your Thirst: Lenten Reflections on John 4:15
Bruce Epperly | March 24, 2011
During this season of Lent, take a few minutes to reflect on this passage from John.......
Shouting Stones: Blind Bartimaeus' True Grit
Bruce Epperly | March 23, 2011
What can a blind man's faith teach us about following Jesus? Pastor Bruce Epperly offers......
Altars of Transformation: Reflections on Genesis 12:1-9
Bruce Epperly | March 16, 2011
This second week of Lent, we focus on Genesis 12:1-9 as an invitation to create altars......
Glenn Beck's God of Tsunamis
Bruce Epperly | March 16, 2011
Like Pat Robertson and others before him, Glenn Beck's God is out to get you. When we......
Drawing a Sacred Circle: Reflections on St. Patrick's Day
Bruce Epperly | March 14, 2011
The legendary Prayer of St. Patrick invites us to consider how we are encircled by God's......
Busy Pastors, Holy Lent: Reflections on Matthew 4:1-11
Bruce Epperly | March 11, 2011
In the wilderness of our vocations, in which success is seldom guaranteed, our spiritual......
Living a Holy Lent
Bruce Epperly | March 04, 2011
Living a holy Lent is as essential for good ministry as study is for good preaching....
Seize the Day: Reimagining Ash Wednesday
Bruce Epperly | March 03, 2011
"For years, I struggled with Ash Wednesday Services because of their otherworldliness......
Presidents' Day: On Leadership, Greatness, and Stature
Bruce Epperly | February 16, 2011
On Presidents' Day, I invite you to reflect on stature and greatness, and how you embody......
Holy Reading
Bruce Epperly | February 09, 2011
One practice I've found helpful in the integration of my preaching and spiritual life is......
Roses, Chocolate, and Sacrifice: A Valentine's Day...
Bruce Epperly | February 07, 2011
As a parent, grandparent, and husband of more than 32 years, I know that love is......
Take Your Sermon for a Walk
Bruce Epperly | January 26, 2011
Movement can revive body, mind, and spirit; open you to new ideas; and help you to get......
Preaching as a Spiritual Practice
Bruce Epperly | January 20, 2011
Twenty years from now, will you still find joy in preaching, pastoral care, and the......
In the Spirit of Martin Luther King: Cultivating a Holy...
Bruce Epperly | January 14, 2011
Today, we need to ask ourselves as a nation: "What is our dream? What are we living......
Taking the Long View of Epiphany
Bruce Epperly | January 12, 2011
The season of Epiphany invites the preacher to take the long view of her or his vocation......
Epiphany Practices: Home by Another Road
Bruce Epperly | December 29, 2010
Awakened to divine companionship, the road less traveled can become a holy adventure......
Happy (Sacred) New Year!
Bruce Epperly | December 23, 2010
While celebration is in order at New Year's, the turning of the year is also an......
Mysticism, Mission, and Malevolence
Bruce Epperly | December 15, 2010
This is the season for remembering we all need to be mystics. Mary encountered an angel,......
The Joy -- and Ambiguity -- of Christmas
Bruce Epperly | December 08, 2010
Both personally and homiletically, the preacher needs to makes a choice to focus on joy......
Advent: Anxiety or Adventure?
Bruce Epperly | December 01, 2010
How we "live" the Advent season will shape our sermons, liturgies, pastoral care, family......
A Sober Advent
Bruce Epperly | November 23, 2010
Like Lent, Advent calls us to wake up and to remain sober amid the drunkenness --......
The Forrest Gump Principle
Bruce Epperly | November 10, 2010
What if we approached each week's lectionary readings with the classic Forrest Gump line......
God's Harvest for All: A Thanksgiving Reflection
Bruce Epperly | November 09, 2010
The German mystic Meister Eckhart is reputed to have said that if the only prayer you......
Justice for Veterans and the Vulnerable: A Veterans Day...
Bruce Epperly | November 04, 2010
In a time of growing individualism and me-first politics and economics, we should......
A Rally for Sanity? Or a Rally for Fear?
Bruce Epperly | November 01, 2010
Although Jon Stewart, unlike Glenn Beck, did not claim the mantle of a religious leader,......
God Is One and Revealed in Many Ways
Bruce Epperly | October 19, 2010
As a theologian, I affirm that God is revealed in all things and can be symbolized by......
Remembering All Saints
Bruce Epperly | October 12, 2010
All Saints' Day, celebrated November 1, is about gratitude, connection, and aspiration.......
We Aren't as Smart as We Think We Are
Bruce Epperly | October 01, 2010
The answer to religious illiteracy? Commit to taking our faith as seriously as we do our......
Lost and Found: Reflections on Sunday's Scriptures
Bruce Epperly | September 01, 2010
Today, we celebrate grace -- not cheap grace that requires nothing of us; but absolutely......
Labor Day: Good Work and a Good Society
Bruce Epperly | August 30, 2010
Labor Day provides an opportunity not only to give thanks to those who labor on our......
Eat, Pray, Love: An Invitation for Christians?
Bruce Epperly | August 25, 2010
The new film Eat, Pray, Love presents an invitation to moderate and progressive......
Inspiration and Vocation: Reflections on Sunday's...
Bruce Epperly | August 11, 2010
God presents us with many possibilities in each moment. Each moment has a vocation, a......
Abandonment and Responsibility
Bruce Epperly | August 04, 2010
Does there ever come a time in life in life when God withdraws God’s care and lets us......
Praying with your Hands: Summer Spirituality
Bruce Epperly | August 02, 2010
We can pray in many ways -- images, thoughts, and words -- and we can also pray with our......
Summer Spirituality: Practicing Gratitude
Bruce Epperly | July 12, 2010
While gratitude is an all-season spiritual practice, it especially suits the easy-going......
Summer Spirituality
Bruce Epperly | July 02, 2010
Walking for the pure joy of it soothes and calms my spirit like nothing else....
Remembering My Fundamentalist Past
Bruce Epperly | June 15, 2010
Fundamentalists like simplicity, but God cannot be confined by a word, a book, an......
The Fourth of July
Bruce Epperly | June 15, 2010
Here are some spiritual practices for experiencing the holy amidst the nation's......
Living in the Spirit: Breathing Your Prayers
Bruce Epperly | June 08, 2010
This simple breath prayer connects us with God's presence within our lives....
Holy Hospitality: Seeing Christ in the Immigrant
Bruce Epperly | June 07, 2010
What would have happened to our Savior had his family been refused comfort and......
Transforming Rituals
Bruce Epperly | June 01, 2010
Rituals abound for the seasons of life, both within and outside of Christianity, which......
Memorial Day Meditation: Finding the Sacred in a Secular...
Bruce Epperly | May 28, 2010
Regardless of our feelings about a particular war or military service in general,......
Reiki Healing Touch: Prayer with Your Hands
Bruce Epperly | May 27, 2010
When I practice Reiki, whether hands-on or at a distance, I embody Jesus' healing......
Spirituality and the Quest for Justice: Lectionary...
Bruce Epperly | January 01, 2000
The times are challenging and it is easy to give up hope. Transforming and healing the......
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