Michael Spencer: Outing Joel Osteen: A Challenge to the Evangelical Blogosphere: "1. Write a post about Osteen.
2. Encourage other bloggers to do the same. (Forward this link if you wish.)
3. Send it out. Raise the questions, speak the truth. Nail something on the door of the world."
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Monday, August 22, 2005
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
No Going Back
I mailed out my ordination invitations this morning. No going back now...
I had my first "walk in" person last week...an adult who came to talk with me about some issues. I think they just came in looking for a pastor to talk with. Interesting...kind of rocked me back on my heels a bit. But empowering as well.
I had my first "walk in" person last week...an adult who came to talk with me about some issues. I think they just came in looking for a pastor to talk with. Interesting...kind of rocked me back on my heels a bit. But empowering as well.
Feminary: Music music music
Feminary: Music music music A nice listing of contemporary music that connects with Wisdom literature.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Pilgrim Preaching: Letter to a Canaanite Woman
Pilgrim Preaching: Letter to a Canaanite Woman: "You go girl! I've never seen anyone talk to Jesus like that. And this from someone who so clearly does not belong. No one has called anyone a Canaanite for centuries. You are a foreigner�or you would be a foreigner if it were not your home turf that Jesus had wandered into. What's more, you are a Canaanite woman in the middle of a group of Jewish men. You are so out of place and so out of time and so exactly where your daughter needs you to be. "
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Recently Finished Book
I just finished reading "Winning" by Jack Welch. Jack is the recently retired CEO of GE. The book is his second, and is intended to be a business memoir. Some interesting stuff. Not nearly as "new" or "insightful" as a book like "Good to Great" or "The Tipping Point." But at the same time, there are some interesting thoughts and observations in there.
One interesting observation: Jack is opposed to spending a great deal of time on mission. He asserts that it is obvious. He writes that:
"a good mission statement and a good set of values are so real they smack you in the face with their concreteness. The mission announces exactly where you are going, and the values describe the behaviors that will get you there. Speaking of that, I prefer abandoning the term values altogether in favor of just behaviors. But for the sake of tradition, let's stick with the common terminology.
In my experience, an effective mission statement basically answers one question: How do we intend to win in this business?" - Jack Welch; "Winning"; p. 14.
Now, there are all sorts of problems with the basic premise of "winning" when it translates to what we do in ministry. But the focus on the focus is the part that interests me. Mission is simple. Mission is plain. Mission is direct and achievable.
There is some interesting stuff in this book. When you read it with filters that translate the business orientation into ministry, there is some wisdom that can certainly be applied and can be helpful.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
The Caring Bridge Site around the Frambach family journey to Columbia and the adoption of Andres
CaringBridge - Be There ~ Helping friends and family stay in touch and informed
An amazing journey of love and faith by friends.
An amazing journey of love and faith by friends.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Where faith meets imagination
I spent the weekend at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, doing workshops for the Region 6 youthworker's network gathering. It was a fun event...about 30 people gathered together for learninig and support.
The Bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod came and spoke with the grou and had some interesting things to say. One of the things I really liked was really just a passing comment. He said something about youth and family ministry creating a space where faith meets imagination.
My mind took off on this:
What it would be like if the church reclaimed imagination?
What if we could imagine a world with no poverty?
What if we could imagine a world with peace?
What if we could imagine a world where the value of each young person was lifted up?
What if we could imagine who God calls us to be, and what God's vision of our lives is?
What if those of us in ministry could help young people imagine God's dream for their life?
Faith and imagination.
Faith and imagination.
Hmmm...
The Bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod came and spoke with the grou and had some interesting things to say. One of the things I really liked was really just a passing comment. He said something about youth and family ministry creating a space where faith meets imagination.
My mind took off on this:
What it would be like if the church reclaimed imagination?
What if we could imagine a world with no poverty?
What if we could imagine a world with peace?
What if we could imagine a world where the value of each young person was lifted up?
What if we could imagine who God calls us to be, and what God's vision of our lives is?
What if those of us in ministry could help young people imagine God's dream for their life?
Faith and imagination.
Faith and imagination.
Hmmm...
Friday, July 29, 2005
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Saturday, July 16, 2005
A Wedding Sermon
Grace and peace to you from God, our creator and from Jesus, who is the Christ, Amen!
Jennifer and Mike…we are all so happy and proud of you. Please allow me to be the first to say congratulations! This is a wonderful day, and a blessed day, and we are all honored to be here to share in it with you.
Having said that, I have a word of warning for each of you:
Mike, you need to know that there are an awful lot of people back in Maple Grove who love and care about Jennifer. You take very good care of her…we’ll be watching…
And Jennifer, there are people here in Baxter who will be doing the same. Mike, if she gives you a hard time at all, I have entire photo albums of embarrassing photos of Jennifer going back to 5th grade. I’ll be happy to send some up to you if you’re looking for material to embarrass her with. As a matter of fact, I brought up a “starter kit” with me today…nah…we’ll worry about that later…
A marriage is a sacred, and holy thing. We are taught from an early age that a marriage is like a fairy tale. It should begin with “once upon a time” and end with “and they lived happily ever after.” In the middle is the time of the man and the woman, often a prince and princess, finding each other, falling into an incredibly passionate love, honoring and worshipping each other, caring for each other, never arguing…with a fairy god mother always watching over them, dispensing assistance and advice
This is a beautiful image. We all grew up with it. Each of us hoped to someday find our prince or our princess.
However, I’ve come to realize that the image of a fairy tale isn’t necessarily an accurate depiction of marriage. For that matter, it isn’t even a very helpful image.
For one thing: the fairy tales never told us what happened when Prince charming would leave the toilet seat up. The fairy tales never took into account how busy and over committed people get, and how it always tends to make the princess late, driving the prince nuts.
Let’s look at your own life together so far: I never heard of a fairy tale that began with “competitive flirting” …with disagreements over whether the princess won the air hockey game or if the prince “let” her win. A fairy tale romance never began with the phrase “How would you feel about a relationship?” Fairy tales never took into account graduate school…medical school…in-laws…goofy friends…long distance in relationships…
No; as fun as they are to dream about, modern marriage is not like a fairy tale. Modern day marriage is much more like a reality TV show.
Now, you know the kind of shows I’m talking about. They are the shows where people’s strengths and weaknesses, their foibles and quirks are on display for the other. We are all imperfect people. We live in an imperfect, sinful world, in imperfect, sinful homes.
In the midst of the imperfection that is our reality, we have to learn how we can live together as married couples.
Jennifer and Mike, There are three things I’d like you to remember about your marriage:
The first is this: You must let go of yourselves. I remember a conversation I had with a friend once about a year after his marriage. I asked him how it was going, and he said “great, But it’s really hard”. I asked him what was hard and he said “I feel like I don’t get to be myself anymore. I feel like my freedom and my independence has died.” I thought back to all of my pastoral counseling courses, rallied all the wisdom I could muster and gave my best pastoral answer: “Well Duh.”
You see, God is busy at work today. In this place, at this time, God is creating something brand new. God is making a new creation in you. You are no longer Mike, the independent…you are no longer Jennifer the free. You are a new being, fused together. Not individuals, but together in a way you have never experienced before. You are bound by God’s Holy Spirit into something brand new. You are literally a new creation.
It is amazing. You will know each other’s thoughts, finish each other’s sentences, be able to know the other’s feelings with a glance…or sometimes a glare…
It is the letting go of some of the individuality you had before. In John 12:24, it is written that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” At one level, to enter into this new covenant we must “die to ourselves” and embrace being a part of this new creation.
The second thing to remember is that you are not alone in this. The scripture you chose for your wedding today is especially meaningful for me. It is the same one that Lori and I chose for our wedding service. What makes this new creation that we all witness today happen at all is the infusion of God’s Holy Spirit into this marriage. God is present in this relationship in a way that you haven’t experienced before.
Now, because we have spoken, I know that you know this. Mike, when you proposed, Jennifer’s first question to you was “have you prayed about this?” You nodded, just wishing she would get on to saying “yes.”
An old couple was driving in their pickup truck one day when they pulled up behind a young couple in a convertible. The young couple was sitting close, with his arm around her. The romance was obvious. The old wife looked at her old husband, sitting behind the steering wheel across the cab of the truck from her and said “remember when we were young, and we used to sit like that?” The husband looked back at her and said “well, I haven’t moved.”
The focus the two of you have on your faith is wonderful. God is present, fused in your marriage with you. God promises that He will not move. Together, continue to draw near to Him.
Finally, no matter what, you need to forgive. You can argue and fight all you want. But at the end of the day, you must forgive. Ephesians 4:26 reminds us to not let the sun go down on our anger. You are forgiven. So forgive each other.
Every night talk with each other. Talk about your day. Talk about your joys. Talk about your frustrations. Talk about what you did to make each other angry, or hurt. And then pray. And forgive. Forgiveness is a lost art. Reclaim it.
Jennifer and Mike, you have been gifts to all of us. Now God is calling you into this marriage. Let go of yourselves…draw near to the God who draws near to you, and love and forgive over and over and over and over…
And in this new reality, this new creation, may you live happily ever after.
Amen.
Jennifer and Mike…we are all so happy and proud of you. Please allow me to be the first to say congratulations! This is a wonderful day, and a blessed day, and we are all honored to be here to share in it with you.
Having said that, I have a word of warning for each of you:
Mike, you need to know that there are an awful lot of people back in Maple Grove who love and care about Jennifer. You take very good care of her…we’ll be watching…
And Jennifer, there are people here in Baxter who will be doing the same. Mike, if she gives you a hard time at all, I have entire photo albums of embarrassing photos of Jennifer going back to 5th grade. I’ll be happy to send some up to you if you’re looking for material to embarrass her with. As a matter of fact, I brought up a “starter kit” with me today…nah…we’ll worry about that later…
A marriage is a sacred, and holy thing. We are taught from an early age that a marriage is like a fairy tale. It should begin with “once upon a time” and end with “and they lived happily ever after.” In the middle is the time of the man and the woman, often a prince and princess, finding each other, falling into an incredibly passionate love, honoring and worshipping each other, caring for each other, never arguing…with a fairy god mother always watching over them, dispensing assistance and advice
This is a beautiful image. We all grew up with it. Each of us hoped to someday find our prince or our princess.
However, I’ve come to realize that the image of a fairy tale isn’t necessarily an accurate depiction of marriage. For that matter, it isn’t even a very helpful image.
For one thing: the fairy tales never told us what happened when Prince charming would leave the toilet seat up. The fairy tales never took into account how busy and over committed people get, and how it always tends to make the princess late, driving the prince nuts.
Let’s look at your own life together so far: I never heard of a fairy tale that began with “competitive flirting” …with disagreements over whether the princess won the air hockey game or if the prince “let” her win. A fairy tale romance never began with the phrase “How would you feel about a relationship?” Fairy tales never took into account graduate school…medical school…in-laws…goofy friends…long distance in relationships…
No; as fun as they are to dream about, modern marriage is not like a fairy tale. Modern day marriage is much more like a reality TV show.
Now, you know the kind of shows I’m talking about. They are the shows where people’s strengths and weaknesses, their foibles and quirks are on display for the other. We are all imperfect people. We live in an imperfect, sinful world, in imperfect, sinful homes.
In the midst of the imperfection that is our reality, we have to learn how we can live together as married couples.
Jennifer and Mike, There are three things I’d like you to remember about your marriage:
The first is this: You must let go of yourselves. I remember a conversation I had with a friend once about a year after his marriage. I asked him how it was going, and he said “great, But it’s really hard”. I asked him what was hard and he said “I feel like I don’t get to be myself anymore. I feel like my freedom and my independence has died.” I thought back to all of my pastoral counseling courses, rallied all the wisdom I could muster and gave my best pastoral answer: “Well Duh.”
You see, God is busy at work today. In this place, at this time, God is creating something brand new. God is making a new creation in you. You are no longer Mike, the independent…you are no longer Jennifer the free. You are a new being, fused together. Not individuals, but together in a way you have never experienced before. You are bound by God’s Holy Spirit into something brand new. You are literally a new creation.
It is amazing. You will know each other’s thoughts, finish each other’s sentences, be able to know the other’s feelings with a glance…or sometimes a glare…
It is the letting go of some of the individuality you had before. In John 12:24, it is written that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” At one level, to enter into this new covenant we must “die to ourselves” and embrace being a part of this new creation.
The second thing to remember is that you are not alone in this. The scripture you chose for your wedding today is especially meaningful for me. It is the same one that Lori and I chose for our wedding service. What makes this new creation that we all witness today happen at all is the infusion of God’s Holy Spirit into this marriage. God is present in this relationship in a way that you haven’t experienced before.
Now, because we have spoken, I know that you know this. Mike, when you proposed, Jennifer’s first question to you was “have you prayed about this?” You nodded, just wishing she would get on to saying “yes.”
An old couple was driving in their pickup truck one day when they pulled up behind a young couple in a convertible. The young couple was sitting close, with his arm around her. The romance was obvious. The old wife looked at her old husband, sitting behind the steering wheel across the cab of the truck from her and said “remember when we were young, and we used to sit like that?” The husband looked back at her and said “well, I haven’t moved.”
The focus the two of you have on your faith is wonderful. God is present, fused in your marriage with you. God promises that He will not move. Together, continue to draw near to Him.
Finally, no matter what, you need to forgive. You can argue and fight all you want. But at the end of the day, you must forgive. Ephesians 4:26 reminds us to not let the sun go down on our anger. You are forgiven. So forgive each other.
Every night talk with each other. Talk about your day. Talk about your joys. Talk about your frustrations. Talk about what you did to make each other angry, or hurt. And then pray. And forgive. Forgiveness is a lost art. Reclaim it.
Jennifer and Mike, you have been gifts to all of us. Now God is calling you into this marriage. Let go of yourselves…draw near to the God who draws near to you, and love and forgive over and over and over and over…
And in this new reality, this new creation, may you live happily ever after.
Amen.
Friday, July 15, 2005
A friend in pain
A friend of mine is in vocational pain right now. It is an unjust situation. He is paying for the mistakes of his boss, who is now covering the whole situation up as a "personnel issue" rather than either an issue of vision (which it is), or an issue of personality conflict (which it is).
His life. His future. His vocation. His security. And those of his family are threatened.
Please pray for David.
His life. His future. His vocation. His security. And those of his family are threatened.
Please pray for David.
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