New York Times Visits Church at the Chip
Imagine my surprise when I listened to this voice mail: “Hello, I’m Fernanda from the New York Times. Are you the folks that meet at the Buffalo Chip in Cave Creek? If so, we’d like to do a story about your church.” It was two days after Christmas so our whole family was still here for the holiday. “Listen to this message,” I said as I sat the phone on the coffee table. They looked at me in disbelief. “Can you believe it?” I said. Sure enough, Fernanda and a photographer came to visit the Church at the Chip on a blustery, cold December morning. I was a bit uncomfortable about my message topic, for I had planned to resume our study through the gospel of John following Christmas. My text? The woman caught in adultery (John 8). How would a New Yorker respond to an old-fashioned sermon about adultery and hypocrisy? “Oh well,” I thought. “We didn’t plan any of this. The last thing I’m going to do is change what we’re doing for the sake of the NY Times. Besides, what’s not to like? Afte...