I know I’ve been away awhile, and that I really should explain myself and write a big, wonderful, moving post. But I’m not going to. 🙂 I’m thinking a lot about John 14, which we’ll be looking at next Sunday in worship. Jesus’ words are …
Read MoreTurning point
Here’s a link to what I shared last week from John 11. Thanks to you who provided food for thought! I want to invite people again to give feedback to help with preparing for this coming Sunday. John 12 is the chapter we are all …
Read MoreJohn 11, Lazarus
I wrote awhile back that I wanted to get input from people before I preach, so that others can help shape what is shared on Sunday mornings. I haven’t forgotten…this coming Sunday will be the first time I’m sharing the message since I wrote the …
Read MorePreaching re-imagined
I can be an obsessive person. After all kinds of input at this conference, more prolific blogging and journaling than I’ve had in forever, I found myself at the Hartford airport pulling out Doug Pagitt’s book, Preaching Re-imagined. Kathy looked at me and said, “You’re …
Read MoreWednesday Volf thought 5…giving
Miroslav spoke today about his latest book, “Free of Charge : Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace” (and follow Corey’s example, listen to me, and read this book). As so many have said, it is so important what and how we think …
Read MoreWednesday Volf thought 4…Yes and No
Last night I suggested that maybe Quakers have something to offer to the conversation about the real presence of God in our midst. We had a chance to write down questions to ask Miroslav today, and mine got asked: Is there space for us to …
Read MoreTuesday Volf thought 3…Curiosity
It’s been so great to hear AJ and Kathy and Steve say how much they appreciate Volf and love his spirit and his mind. I’m being reminded again how influential he’s been on my life, how much my classes with him, how chatting over coffee …
Read MoreTuesday Volf thought 2…Witnesses
Is it the pastor’s responsibility to provoke? Are we supposed to challenge, prick, prod, and push people into places of discomfort in their spiritual lives? Miroslav basically answered this as a “yes,” but I loved how he qualified that. “What do I do,” he said, …
Read MoreTuesday Volf thought 1…Story
(LOTS of stuff today. I’ll try breaking into little pieces in separate posts.) One of the major points Miroslav makes in Exclusion and Embrace is this–God demonstrated profound love to human beings through Jesus’ death. As the Apostle Paul said, “while we were still enemies, …
Read MoreNaked and unashamed
I’ve been thinking for the past few days about the gamble of self disclosure. The negative sides of letting it all hang out are pretty obvious. Jerry Springer comes to mind, or the reality tv shows like “The Bachelor”. Narcissists who make everything about them. …
Read More