I’m not going to lie. My first reaction when I saw the cover of this book? No! Of course you’re not indispensable. What use could this crap possibly be to the Church, or to me – simultaneously a pastor and a pastor-in-training. Then, however, I read the book. And I suggest you do, too! (Note: affiliate link. I get paid if you make a purchase.) Seth Godin, bald marketing extraordinaire, is convinced that a paradigm shift has taken place....
I’m scared. Are you? Specifically, as I wrote in my journal this very morning: I’m scared – I’m scared of wasting my life, I’m scared of not being worth anything outside of the classroom. Fear drives so many aspects of our lives – from how we dress, to how we raise our children, to how we elect our leaders. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, fear can play a large role in what/whom we worship....
Ah, the joys of summer reading. Here are a few of the books I’m currently diving into: Hoping to be able to read German with a dictionary by the end of the summer! Karl Barth’s theological bombshell. I’m trying the Slow-Carb Diet and kettlebell swings. I’ve wanted to get my hands on a copy of the Homilies for some time. Finally getting around to reading this classic! My very first Seth Godin book....
I love books. Books, however, do not like my back. Can you relate? Maybe it’s not sitting around reading books all day, but I imagine plenty of you out there suffer from back pain/fatigue. Let me share a time-saving solution I’ve recently found: two-handed kettlebell swings. Our small kettlebell family How can these cannonballs with handles help your back? Well, the kettlebell swing is one of the many exercises out there that activates your posterior chain – the muscles along the back of your body....
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/256270902″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] READINGS Ephesians 5:21-33 – Wives and Husbands Psalm 67 – May God Be Gracious to Us and Bless Us Revelation 19:6-10 – The Marriage Supper of the Lamb Matthew 25:1-13 – The Parable of the Ten Virgins HOMILY What makes a great wedding? Is it the fragrance and color of the flower arrangements? The particular grandeur of the venue? Is it the number and camaraderie of the guests?...
What would it have been like, on the first Holy Saturday? What would it be like, tonight, if Jesus has been dead for almost 33 hours? All the hopes and dreams of tonight’s readings – shattered. Blown away by the cold winds of death. Jesus of Nazareth lies in a dark grave, and we, his shell-shocked followers, gather to make some sort of sense of this week’s events – to salvage some sort of hope from this week’s wreckage....
Hi internet – especially all you Barthians and Bonhoefferians (-ites?) out there. I’m in the process of compiling a reading list, and I could use your suggestions. Here’s my goal: to explore the possible relationship between Barth’s critique of the “No-God”(Nich-Gott) and Bonhoeffer’s critique(s) of viewing God as a “stopgap” (Lückenbüßer) or “working hypothesis.” As far as primary sources go, I plan to focus on the Romans commentary, Garrett Green’s recent re-translation of CD §17, and Letters and Papers from Prison....
It’s been a grueling past few weeks at Beeson. Our Spring Break happens to coincide with Holy Week this year, and it can’t come quickly enough! Part of the hard work has been preparing to preach three sermons for class. However, the opportunity to study and preach God’s Word is a joy that outweighs the burdens of preparation! I have preached twice in the past month on Psalm 32. First, I delivered a sermon (“The Refreshment of Forgiveness”) designed for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year C, for Dr....
There are better preachers out there. So, if you’re short on time, go and listen to them! However, if you’ve got 26 minutes to spare, I offer “The Challenge of Christmas Light” to you, and would love to hear your feedback. I preached this sermon on December 27, 2015 at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Mountain Brook, AL, as we celebrated the Feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist....
INTRODUCTION: ACCEPTING, BLOCKING, AND STATUS From the church’s perspective, is the state a promising offer, or a threatening one? At the risk of breathtaking oversimplification, Anglicans have tended to adopt the former perspective, leading to accommodation, and Anabaptists the latter, resulting in separation.[1] Following Samuel Wells in his theological appropriation of terms from theatrical improvisation, the Anglican tradition has tended to respond to the promising offers (invitations to respond) of the state by accepting – maintaining the premise(s) of the state’s action(s)....