In need of genuine help!

I've been pondering for some time how to initiate a ministry within the realm of benevolence. I struggle with how to describe it because I do not want to narrow its scope prematurely. Benevolence generally conjures thoughts of physical/financial need. That is certainly a big part of what I envision, but I see possibilities for far more. More than giving a product to someone, I'm wondering how we "the more fortunate" might get involved productively with someone who is struggling. A matching of someone's excess with someone else's need. How can we pair one's strength with another's weakness. This quote captures the essence of what I'm expressing:

I don't believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is so vertical. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other person and learns from the other. I have a lot to learn from other people. - Eduardo Galeano

I would like to start it with a meeting of interested people. The initial meeting will primarily function as a think tank. We will talk out some ideas, consider some possibilities, etc. I have a handful of people (within or closely associated with Sunshine) to consider. We can discuss needs and search for opportunities that we can extend genuine love and support to them. I know I am sounding vague here. I truly do not know quite how this will go.

What I do know is this: We are a generous congregation. I believe our generosity will be more effective when its extends beyond indirect giving to direct involvement in a needy situation. We cannot solve the systemic problems of our community but we can make a monumental impact in the lives of our own congregants! The concept of family lends itself to this type of ministry. I know that this can make our whole congregation stronger. It will minister to the giver as much, maybe more, than the receiver.

This is something I have prayed about for some time. The success of such an endeavor lies solely in the hands of God. Prayer must be a large part of this ministry. We can learn as we go. What do you think? Would you be interested in being involved? What questions/reservations do you have?

Happy 8th day of Christmas or New Years (which ever you choose)!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

If you are interested I am going to have a Ohio State-Notre Dame football game get together at my house on Monday. The game starts at 4:30 (thanks Jason!) and should be over by 8:00. Let me know if you would like to come so I can get some food together.

New Year's Eve Party

Since no one seems to be interested in coming to the party, it's been cancelled.
Thanks, anyway, for the few replies I did get.


There is a New Year's Eve party at Gary and Kathy Glispie's house at 7:00pm Saturday night. Bring lots of food for everyone to eat and drink. There will be scrapbooking going on, video games being played, ping pong, and the trivia game you play on the television called "Disney Scene It?" will be available. So as you can see, there is something for everyone to do. There's plenty of parking but if you can ride with someone, that will help alot. If you need directions or more information, call me or Gary and Kathy.

Post a comment here if you plan to come! Thanks!

The Gospel?

In Sunday morning Bible class my dear friend Bud Coriell ask a question that has really had me thinking this week. He simply asked, "What is the gospel?" As the room fell silent for what seemed to me a long awkward period of time someone finally came up with "the good news." So, "What's the good news?" Another long silence.
If our goal as the church is to "go into all the world and preach the gospel" shouldn't we have a better handle on just what it is we're preaching. Inevitably the conversation went to the five steps of salvation, but I must disagree. I don't disagree with the steps, but I disagree that they are the gospel. If we teach steps of salvation as a basis for Christianity there can be severe consequences to those who are converted.
When Peter first preached the gospel, the people's hearts were convicted to the point that they stopped him and shouted "What shall we do?" Was their sin worse than ours? Did I betray Christ any less than they? Are they more guilty than we are?
I link this back to my previous post concerning a lax attitude toward worship. Even if we have all the steps right and an orderly worship service is conducted it means nothing without the heart felt conviction that the crowd had when they stopped Peter.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to condemn our practices. I believe our "back to the Bible" teachings, our methods of leadership, methods of worship and our steps of salvation are God ordained and God approved. What I'm looking to is the center focal point that all these practices should be directed to and that is Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. He lives today and I am part of His body and He is living in me.
Wade Hodges has a excellent series of blogs posted on his site examining the Church of Christ that I would recommend reading. It is the best examination of what I know as the church I have ever read. There are seven parts and I know it's long, but it's worth it. I laughed, cried, shouted halleluiah! and said "You got to be kidding me!"

Prayer Alert

Patsy drove Mary Collins to the SOMC emergency room about two hours ago. I talked to Patsy on the phone about 30 minutes ago and they had not looked at Mary yet, but she had another one of her attacks this morning. From what I understand they're thinking she was having "mini-strokes," whatever that means. The doctor had told her to go to the ER if she had any more of them. No further info available at this time.

Camp Fire Service

Patrick Mead posted an excellent thought about worshipping in spirit and in truth. Sometimes our services can get so regimented and sterile that a great deal of the meaning is lost as our minds wander while we go from one segment of worship to the next - same week after week. I don't blame anyone or anything in particular, that's just how life is on earth. I feel alot of guilt as a worshipper over this issue and was wondering if others felt the same or different.

I think this is one of the reasons I really enjoy going to Fort Hill CYC and worshipping around the camp fire, singing without the books or the powerpoint, and listening to speakers we don't normally here from. At Sunshine one Sunday morning I would like to cut a hole in the roof of the auditorium, build a camp fire, and move all the pews into a circle or better yet get rid of the pews altogether.

We are so spoiled with our padded seats, A/C, fancing lighting and sound systems; I just feel like we're giving up some good stuff up for these comforts. But I don't guess these are the real problem, it's our lax attitude toward worship of a gracious redeeming God.

Pondering New Year's Eve

With 2006 almost here, I've been sitting around most of the day just thinking about the past (for proof of that, check my post this morning in Dry Crusts).

I know a lot of you won't remember, but I got to thinking about the New Years Eve parties that Don Coriell used to host many years back. Everyone brought some sort of a dessert and we sat around and chatted, played Uno, checkers, etc. until the New Year arrived. After a while it was moved to the church building, a few more of you probably remember that. I'm not sure if Don just got tired of hosting the party or if it outgrew his house. After a few years it dwindled down to only a few families for some reason and it ceased to be quite as much fun. It was eventually put out of it's misery and, as far as I know, folks have been spending New Years Eve at home in recent years. I sort of miss those parties, but I'd also miss being at home with the family.

I've just been wondering if anybody would be interested in an Online New Year's party...maybe set up a chat room and just chat with one another online from the comfort of home. Just a zany idea...

The Protector of All Things

When Tim and I were on vacation a few weeks ago, we left our hotel realizing that we had forgotten to put away something of value in our room. We were afraid that someone working at the hotel would be able to come in our room and take the thing we left lying out. Tim asked me if I thought we should go back and put it away. I thought for a second and then had a sense of peace come over me as I "heard a voice in my head" say why don't you just pray and ask God to watch over your room. I announced this to Tim and we decided to pray. The only thing is, we were driving down the highway by this time. Closing your eyes to pray didn't seem like the best idea at the time. So, we tried something we'd never tried before. We prayed together in the car and we kept our eyes open while doing it. It was very uncomfortable because we were doing something we had always done but doing it in a different way. We got the same results too, by the way. ;) When Tim and I pray together, it's like a tag team, almost. His job is to start the prayer out and finish it. He takes on the majority of the issues we pray about and when something comes to my mind, I talk. It was really interesting praying together while driving down the road because no one else on the road, in the restaurants, or walking on the sidewalks had any idea we were praying. They only saw our mouths moving and would naturally assume Tim and I were talking to one another. Everyone was totally oblivious to the fact that Tim and I were having a conference meeting with The Almighty God!

We got back to our room, after doing our Christmas shopping, to find everything just as we had left it. You know, God is truly the best security system to have. He's very reliable and as far as being easy to trust, well, that part is up to you.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

I'm A Nerd :(

Yesterday I was posting a comment on someone's blog and went to type in the hodge podge of letters they expect you to type before you click the enter button. As I looked at the letters chosen especially for me, I noticed that the first four letters I needed to type were "nerd". You know, that really hurts. I get on the internet to try to inspire people and encourage them, and what do I get? The system turns on me!

Just thought I'd add some more silliness to the blog today. I hope I at least caused you to smile. You're not allowed to agree with what it called me though. ;) Just keep it to yourself, thank you very much. :D

You Betta Recognize

As we were walking through Wal-Mart a few nights ago, Kara and I went over to the garden section to look for a movie on a special Christmas movie display they had set up over there. As I was looking everywhere for this stand Kara hollered out "Look Daddy" and pointed up high on a shelf to our left. On the shelf were about 10 different outdoor lawn figurines that light up. As I looked to see what she was pointing at, she said "Look its Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus!!!" in a excited voice. I said that is right Kara.

After thinking about it for a moment, the other nine figurines were snowmen, santa, reindeer, spongebob and other exciting characters to kids and she recognized Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus instead of the brighter colored more exciting looking figurines.

I know many times during my life that the LORD has put things before me that I have ignored or not recognized and allowed myself to let something else grab my attention instead of what he has placed before me. Satan usually stands next to or in front of our view of the LORD's works causing our minds to drift off, if we let him. Our battle is to obscure him from that view and not allow him to alter our focus on the LORD. a

We have obviously had a lot of attention the last few weeks to Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus with Kim, Allie and I playing those parts in the Christmas program and have really been using that to tie Baby Jesus into the Christmas season for Kara this year. She obviously took a hold of it and recognizes these figures now when we are in public and talks about them daily. My prayer is that she continues on this path of recognizing the LORD in our lives and in the lives of you, our Sunshine family and learns not to let Satan obscure her view.

p.s. I am not suggesting the other lawn figurines were satan or anything, just using them as a example.

The Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the town
Not a sign of Baby Jesus
was anywhere to be found.

The people were all busy
with Christmas time chores
Like decorating and baking,
and shopping in stores.

No one sang "Away in a manger,
no crib for a bed".
Instead they sang of Santa
dressed- up in bright red.

Mama watched Martha Stewart,
Papa drank beer from a tap.
As hour upon hour
the presents they'd wrap.

When what's from the T.V.
did they suddenly hear?
"Cept an ad.. which told
of a big sale at Sears.

So away to the mall
they flew like a flash...
buying things on credit...
and others with cash!

And, as they made their way home
From their trip to the mall,
Did they think about Jesus?
Oh, no... not at all.

Their lives were so busy
with their Christmas time things
No time to remember
Christ Jesus, the King.

There were presents to wrap
and cookies to bake.
How could they stop and remember
who died for their sake?

To pray to the Savior..
they had no time to stop.
Because they needed more time
to "Shop til they dropped!"

On Wal-Mart! On K-Mart!
On Target! On Penney's!
On Hallmark! On Zales!
A quick lunch at Denny's

From the big stores downtown
to the stores at the mall
They would dash away, dash away
and visit them all!

And up on the roof,
there arose such a clatter
As grandpa hung icicle lights
Up on his step ladder

He hung lights that would flash.
He hung lights that would twirl.
Yet, he never once prayed to Jesus...
Light of the World.

Christ's eyes... how they twinkle!
Christ's Spirit... how merry!
Christ's love... how enormous!
All our burdens... he'll carry!

So instead of being busy,
overworked and uptight
Let's put Christ back in
Christmas and enjoy
some good nights!

Merry Christmas, To All!

Author unknown

Mega-Church

I was surfing some random blogs this morning and stumbled across one where a Baptist fellow was quoting a newspaper article about mega-churches. You know, the ones that are as big as an airplane hanger for jumbo jets with multi-media popping out of every nook and cranny and people packed in like sardines in a tin? One of the things in the article that caught my attention was a list of nine characteristics of a mega-church.

I was surprised to find that Sunshine met six (maybe seven) out of the nine criteria. We don't have instrumental music, so you can cross the in-house rock band off the list right away. We don't have stadium seating...well, our building really isn't big enough for that. The third area, well that's questionable. "A dizzying array of specialized services, with specialists in geriatrics, teens, addiction and early childhood." We do offer an array of specialized services, but I wouldn't really call it dizzying as yet. In every other area, we were pretty much on target...multi-media instead of hymn books, not passing a collection plate during services, no religious artifacts like crosses or stained-glass windows, conservative view point, etc.

Patsy was looking at a list of Churches of Christ in Ohio the other day and remarked that the number of members at Sunshine, although certainly not the largest, is significantly larger than average for our state. We have also been informally kicking around the idea about a new, larger building. Are we on the way to becoming a "mega-church?" Is that such a bad thing? I'm not wanting to be controversial here, I just thought this was interesting.

Here's the blog I was reading Those Aren't Pews, They're Stadium Seats!

Oh, and do I get ex-communicated for reading a Baptist blog? :P

I Hear Voices In My Head!

I just discovered something funny (well, it's funny to me) . I was just reading on Patrick Mead's blog "Tent Pegs" and noticed for some reason that as I read to myself, I was reading it with his accent. I hear his voice in my head when I read his blog. You know, I thought about that for a second and realized that I would never be able to mimic someone else's voice with my mouth but I can do an excellent job of it in my head where no one can hear it.
As a matter of fact, as I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I apparently do this with every blog of people I know....Tim, Al, Jamie, Scott, Katie, Zane, etc. I hear their voices reading each blog entry on their own blogs and on this blog. If you think about it, I'll bet you do it too. I wonder why we do that? I've discovered that relationship is key. Hearing Patrick's voice in my head while reading his blog, makes reading it so much more interesting. Even his jokes are funnier because you can visualize him telling them with his hands and facial expressions. I'm so glad we all know one another well enough to know exactly how we each sound, look, etc. when we talk. There is life there in a beautiful and diverse way. I'm glad you're all in my life and that I have the honor of knowing you all better and better......to the point that "I hear voices in my head"...haha ;)

Liturgy! Part Two

In my last post I made a case for our need to appreciate the traditions and heritage of other Christian groups. Again, I'll emphasize that appreciation does not connotate endorsement. I stated that in growing in our understanding of things not us, we position ourselves for a more useful and realistic self-understanding. What I didn't say is that this is a two-way street.

When I first became involved with the Scioto County Ministerial Association, I felt a little like a fish out of water. They were not used to seeing a CofC guy around. Although all the members were very polite and accepting of me personally, I could sense a little wariness regarding my background. For the most part, their perception of the CofC is more like what you might get from the Wheelersburg CofC than Sunshine.

However, I think, in a small way, something marvelous happened last Friday night. Judi Allison, in preparing for the Christmas Program, borrowed some costumes from Second Presbyterian (downtown). In return, they were to borrow some of ours and Judi performed in their program the following day. Their minister, Stan Webster, and his wife accepted an invitation to come and see our program. Of course, the program went well, and they enjoyed experiencing it. I talked with them afterwards and they both were very complementary of our fellowship. They marvelled at the attendance, the diversity of participation, and made notice of the warm fellowship that followed the show.

I don't want to take too much liberty in speculating exacting what Stan's perception of us was proir to coming. However, I think its safe to say that he and his wife left with an expanded and enhanced perception of what the CofC is all about. Now, that doesn't solve the problem of world hunger or usher in gobal peace but it was significant nonetheless.

There are many things about our heritage and approach to worship that are wonderful. Our focus on simplicity, adhering closely to the model of the first Christians, and especially our devout appreciation of the authority of Scripture above all things are great strengths of our heritage. May we all continue to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ and may God continue to use us to advance his kingdom.

Reviewing NARNIA

So let's hear the movie reviews on Narnia after watching it last night after church. Tell us "the good, the bad and the ugly" about the movie, what it meant to you, and your favorite scenes, etc.

More Good News!

Check out Zoe's Adoption Blog for the good news we received today.

Liturgy! What the heck is liturgy?

If I rub some of you the wrong way, I truly do apologize, it not my intention. In pointing to and publicizing views and ideas outside of our normal realm of thinking, one might conclude that I am dissatisfied with our fellowship. Not at all! There is no place I'd rather be! But, I do think we would all be blessed by gaining some appreciation of what's going on in circles outside our fellowship. (Disclaimer: I'm mainly speaking to those of us who grew up in the CofC heritage and have never experienced much of anything else, I acknowledge that there are a number of folks who worship with us now, but have roots in other backgrounds) Please separate in your mind the difference between appreciation and endorsement. We can learn much from a deep and spiritual man like Henri Nouwen without endorsing the Catholic tradition of which he is apart. And we must recognize how foolish it is to think, "Well if he's Catholic, he can't have anything worthwhile to say to me." There is nothing to fear from understanding where another religious person is coming from.

I'm not talking about doctrine, although its difficult to dissect doctrine from this discussion. I'm talking about appreciation like "music appreciation." My college music instructor taught me to appreciate a whole world of music that was previously unknown to me. The experience forever changed me, but I didn't come away converted to the classical period.

I desire to somewhat intelligently answer questions like: What makes an Episcopalian tick? What is the driving force behind Methodist theology? Why would anyone want to be Catholic? I think its literally impossible for us to grow in appreciation of our own heritage without being willing and able to appreciate that which is not us.

Two Cities has a very interesting post written by a man from the CofC heritage (I appreciate it, not endorse it). Check it out here! If you read it, my title will make sense.

A question for you...please comment.

Hey folks, I've got a question for you.

Is the message forum on the church website still a viable venue or has it outlived it's usefullness? There hasn't been a significant post on the message forum since this blog went online and it appears to be a duplication of effort in my opinion. Even before the blog was created, the message forum wasn't very active. Now that the blog is here the message forum has withered away like Jonah's vine. I'm encouraged by the great amount of activity and interaction here, this is exactly the kind of arena that I hoped the message forum would create when I set it up.

I'm thinking about taking the message forum offline since it seems to be down for the count anyway. Can I hear your comments?

I enjoy this blogging

Hey I wanted to take a little time to express to all you bloggers how much I enjoy reading your blogs. I have found myself charged up (in a good way) by reading what other Christians feel and think. I know I do not post much, but I read all the posts and all the comments. I even comment when moved. Spending the whole week in the secular world with secular people, discussing secular topics can wear on a guy. So I am renewed and challenged daily with your thought and feelings. Now am not advocating letting this get in the way of my walk with my Lord, but instead as an addition. I love the discussion and the debates. I feel that some people who you may not normally hear from have a voice in this medium. I know that some people are to shy to verbalize their opinions in public. Also this type of discussion allows people time to think and process their thoughts, encouraging them to respond where they may have not in a public setting. For whatever the reason I'm glad you all take the time to express yourself. Just my thoughts and a chance to say thanks.

Where do you stand?

There are many Christian voices calling for a much deeper involvement of the Christian community in social issues. These folks are calling for us to recognize poverty, economic disparity, and capitalistic values as something to be fully addressed. They argue that we tend to ignore or spiritualize these very real problems of our communties, freeing ourselves of the burden of responsibility.

Interestingly, this focus in thinking leads to seeing economic policies, budget cuts, tax law changes, etc., as having dire moral and spiritual implications. Often they are at odds with Republicans (due to economic issues) and unable to get too cozy with Democrats (due to moral issues).

So, I ask you: How do you feel about a deeper involvement with the social problems of our community? And/or, what do you think about this muddying of the political waters?

For a thought provoking political piece-- Contratimes

Here's one for 'ya

How about this?

Tim found this picture this morning and showed it to me. Apparently Santa use to be a red head. ;)

"A guinea pig wears a Santa Claus costume at an animal show in Moscow November 27, 2005. Moscow's Club of Friends of Guinea Pigs organised an exhibition of their favourite pets on Sunday that included a fashion show and a sprinting contest. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin"

Witchcraft for Christians?

Jason had earlier asked me if I would mind posting about why I am choosing to stay away from movies and such containing witch craft and sorcery, etc. I remembered that I had posted a message about this in the main church website back in July of 2004 and I thought I would just cut and paste the whole message here. I have to say that I am very lonely in this whole journey and I struggle with this issue often. I am determined to make the best decision possible every single time concerning the fact that I am not a follower of men but of God. I am not in the habit of trying to get people to like me by what I do or not do. I'm always going to make someone unhappy (unfortunately). If the whole world turns against me, I plan to still serve the Lord to the best of my ability in the way I know to be right according to what I have read in the Bible for myself.

(Please know that I am not using a nasty tone in this post. Though it still may step on toes. I am simply sharing my struggles and decisions openly with my church family and the rest of the world who bothers to read about my heart and follow along as I grow.)

Here is what I posted on the other website:


I have recently made a very tough decision concerning my household. We won't be watching movies, etc. that contain and promote sorcery, witchcraft, fortune telling, magic, etc. This decision was made based on, you guessed it, The Bible. I have known for years what the Bible says about these things but just ignored it because I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I am a big fan of The Lord of the Rings (with sorcery) and Harry Potter (with witchcraft) and I didn't want to stay away from those things because I didn't see any harm in it. Well, I have been watching, reading, and hearing all sorts of people talking about this issue and I can find no reason why it would be good for me and Tim spiritually to continue taking part in this sort of thing for our entertainment. As Christians, we all need to be very aware and very careful of what it is that entertains us. What entertains a person, tells alot about that person....who they are, what they are for and against, etc. I want Tim and I to be known as people who are for the Lord and against what the Lord is against. I have been getting alot of flack about this decision as I'm sure you can imagine. So, the other night, I decided to make this decision "concrete" by looking in the Bible to see exactly what God says about this issue. I used an additional book to guide me called "Where to find it in the Bible". I was amazed at how much scripture was actually dedicated to this sort of thing. I read as many as I possibly could all through the bible from the old testament to the new testament before I fell asleep from tired eyes. I have come to realize by reading everything that I've read, that God doesn't want his children to mess with this stuff in any way, shape or form......(IMAGINE THAT) So, what I am trying to announce to everyone here is that "AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD"

Coming Events

Just a little reminder for everyone about a some things coming up the next few days.

TONIGHT - Caroling at the homeless shelter. Meet at the church building at 6:30.

SUNDAY - Covered Dish Dinner after worship services. Not sure of the exact starting time, maybe Scott can elaborate on that. Bring a dish and stay to eat some of the fine vittles.

TUESDAY - Teen Christmas Party at Innermission Campus Ministry building. 6:30 p.m. Bring some pop, chips or cookies. Pizza will be provided. The building is located at the corner of 4th and Gay Streets in Portsmouth.

The plusical was a success!

Plusical = play + musical

"Who would send a child" was a tremendous effort. As one of the few who had absolutely nothing to do with it, I would like to congratulate all who were apart of its showing. The singing was superb, those on stage both adults and children were wonderful. It was really a great effort. I was proud of our congregation for seeing it through. Praise God and thank you.

What were some of your impressions about the plusical?

Where's our Millie???

Hey guys, I know that just like me, you have been missing Mildred Lemon. Just so you know, she has been in Maryland visiting her family...Donna (daughter), and Jeff, Dawn, and John, (Son, Daughter-in-law and grandson).
Well, I think it's great for her to get away from time to time to visit family, but there's a little problem here. She's been gone for quite some time, (like 2-1/2 or 3 weeks) and Marland has great skiing, lot's of shopping Malls, and the Capital is very close by. I'm starting to get concerned that she thinks she's staying, and without our permission.

So, what I really want to say is...

Millie, WE ALL LOVE YOU, AND MISS YOU VERY MUCH!
Please come home for Christmas -- Service on Christmas Sunday just won't be the same without you.

Too little religion in politics..?

I'll try to slip this in under Millie's post. Larry James quotes a speech made by a former Texas politician. It is very applicable to the current Christian protests of budget cuts. It is a tremedous read. Please check it out, here.

I was approached, once upon a time, by a young man (from a different religious background). I had just walked off the golf range, dressed sloppily. He sized me up as an unbeliever. As soon as I informed him I was a Christian, he inquired about where I attended. When he learned I was CofC, he began questioning me about believing in "works salvation". I took his own Bible away from him and read him a passage about being saved by grace. I then proceeded to testify to him that I will go to Heaven by the grace of God expressed in the crucifixion and resurrection of my Lord, Jesus Christ.

Rather than be happy that I was espousing a view he held. He walked away disappointed, because he just could not reach me. You see, the only thing he saw when he looked at me was CofC.

I think about that encounter often because I have always been able to see a lot of me in him. The same type of challenge I set before my brothers and sisters at Sunshine, I would offer to him. Just as married couples stand to gain so much when they acquire their spouse's perspective, we can only gain by seeing through the lens of another.

I am not suggesting that we join the ecumenical movement. But I am suggesting that we recognize that the world is complex, the religious world is complex. The Bible shows us Pharisees who failed to acknowledge Jesus because they were bound by their preconceived ideas. The young man, mentioned above, failed to see Jesus in me because of his preconceived ideas of the CofC. I think you can see where I'm headed here...

The Bible Clearly Teaches....?

Something for thought.

Milton Stanley has a great blog entitled Transforming Sermons, sounds boring but actually if you check it often, you'll find it thought provoking. Generally, his posts point you to another blog somewhere that has something he deems worthwhile.

Today he quotes this from Internetmonk.com. I recommend reading the entire post. You don't have to agree but you should grapple with his point. Here's a portion:

Sometimes, the Bible doesn’t give you enough evidence, one way or the other, to settle a question beyond the possibility of a continuing discussion and debate. If this is true, and if the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit does not remove this ambiguity, then there are points beyond which dicsussion and debate ought to proceed only with considerable and generous amounts of respectful humility.

This "epiphany" as he states it, has been embraced by me for some time. I'm curious to know how you all feel about this "admission." Read his post and come back to comment (please).

Prayer for the Suffering

If your in the habit of praying daily, the words you speak can become empty of passion. That's frustrating! Today as I prayed for two who are in the midst of suffering, I felt the passion again. I prayed, with feeling, that God would not abandon them in their suffering, that though they knew He was near intellectually, they would know His presence existentially. I don't know why I am writing this on the blog, I'm just happy to feel it again, today. "Blessed are those who mourn..."

I read this today at Contratimes (the following is quoted from Contratimes, Bill Gnade):

Yesterday morning, while reading Oscar Wilde's De Profundis, a lengthy letter he drafted from prison, I found the following passage amid Wilde's struggles over Christ, suffering, and the consequences of being imprisoned:

"If ... a friend of mine gave a feast, and did not invite me to it, I shouldn't mind a bit. I can be perfectly happy by myself. With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy? Besides, feasts are not for me any more. I have given too many to care about them. That side of life is over for me, very fortunately I dare say. But if ... a friend of mine had a sorrow, and refused to allow me to share it, I should feel it most bitterly. If he shut the doors of the house of mourning against me I would come back again and again and beg to be admitted, so that I might share in what I was entitled to share in. If he thought me unworthy, unfit to weep with him, I should feel it as the most poignant humiliation, as the most terrible mode in which disgrace could be inflicted on me. But that could not be. I have a right to share in Sorrow, and he who can look at the loveliness of the world, and share its sorrow, and realize something of the wonder of both, is in immediate contact with divine things, and has got as near to God's secret as anyone can get."

Who's going to the movie?

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is out! The reviews are good. We need to work up a date and time to go see it as a gang. Who's in? Count me & Terry Knicely in.

Charity or Involvement

I don't mean to commandeer the blog with low-income outreach issues-- it's what's on my mind.

When we think of this sort of outreach, we generally conceive of it in terms of charity. We give away food, clothing, money, etc. This is a good work and needs to be done; however, it does not fully address the issues at hand. Consider a couple of quotes;

From Larry James's Blog--
...from Dom Helder Camara:"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist." Camara points out a truth with which everyone who really understands poverty and the forces that create it must at some point grapple.Charity doesn't provide sustainable solutions to systemic, generational poverty. Rather, charity offers people with power a respectable means of maintaining control of their advantage. Most don't even realize how these forces work.

and from the Bruderhof Community's Daily Dig--
I don't believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is so vertical. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other person and learns from the other. I have a lot to learn from other people. - Eduardo Galeano

There is a common point in these quotes that we must incorporate in our outreach thinking. We also must include "low-income" folks from our fellowhip in ministry development. I had a recent conversation with just such a person. I quickly became aware of my need to partner with this person so to benefit from her insights and perspective.

If you've got some time, 2 very good readings--
Landon Saunder's Radical Human Presence
Jim Wallis - Betraying Jesus (this link may be temporarily broken)

Hunger Insecurity

I read Larry James' blog everyday. Today's post is especially relevant to me. He quotes some statistics that mention and define hunger insecurity. I know for a fact that there are members of our fellowship who experience this phenomenon. There are many more beyond the walls of our fellowship, living in our local area. I am committed to pursuing a ministry in this realm. I am currently jockeying for a position from which I can initiate some outreach ministries. I hope to involve as many people as possible. Check out the post. Let me know what your thoughts are regarding such an outreach.

A Blog for Campus Ministry?

What do you all think about starting a blog for campus ministry? I think it would be great, personally, to have a place online where the students could stay in touch with one another and post comments about trips and outings that they've been involved in. Also, it would create a place to keep everyone informed of upcoming events. Kinda' like a message board on steroids! I think there is great opportunity here. Give me some feedback.

A New Building?

At our last Deacon's Meeting, it was announced that the Elders are giving serious consideration to the need for a new facility. Of course, this is a major undertaking requiring a major commitment of the entire family. What do you think?

Great Story! Check it out...

So, I surfed across a really neat blog story today and thought I would share it. Just click the link, and scroll down to the story called "Acapella in the dark." I'm sure you'll recognize the author, and be encouraged by the story.

BTW, don't worry Al, it's not very long http://ourgracenotes.blogspot.com/

What's up with this BLOG !!

I want to know what's going on! My post, from the other day, was clearly leftish in it's leanings. I attend church with a good number of folks who really believe that Fox News truly is "fair and balanced" and yet I get 0 comments. What's up with that!

Great News!

Go to Zoe's adoption blog if you're interested in reading the great news we have to share today. :)