Matthew 5:6-8 First, a little review. Last week we looked at the first three Beatitudes and talked about the pattern they follow—thesis, antithesis, synthesis. The poor in spirit are those who have emptied and denied themselves, wanting nothing from the world (thesis), but they are also those who mourn over the pain of the world …
via www.christiancentury.org Excellent treatise on why being “spiritual” vs. “religious” is a way of making God in our consumeristic, individualistic image.
Matthew 5:1-5 What does it mean to be blessed? Every year at Thanksgiving we talk about “counting our blessings,” which usually means counting up all the good things in our lives—not a bad thing to do, of course, but is Jesus talking here about a list of good things to count?—mourning, being persecuted, reviled, despised? …
I picked up a copy of this prayer while at Gethsemani Abbey in August. It's one I keep in my Bible and has been leading me lately. It's also one that I think is perfect as we begin this series on the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus' call to the way of discipleship: My …
On Sunday morning, during the introduction to a sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount, I told the congregation that I would be pushing their buttons throughout the series, mostly because the text of the Sermon that Jesus preaches in Matthew 5-7 is a provocative rule of life–a rule that requires us to embody …
As we dive into this sermon series on The Sermon on the Mount, one of the temptations we might face is seeing the teaching of Jesus as simply another set of rules to follow–a set that is based on the "old" rules in the law of Moses, but simply adds on more conditions. Truth is, …
The Sermon on the Mount as the Charter of Human Freedom Continue Reading »
Matthew 5:17-20 What is the best sermon you ever heard? What was good about it? How did it change you? I’ve listened to a lot of sermons over the course of my life, even preached quite a few myself, but one of the stark truths I have come to realize is that sermons, in an …
The Rule of Life: The Sermon on the Mount (Series Introduction) Continue Reading »
Matthew 4:18-25 I grew up in a very blue collar family in western Pennsylvania. My father was a diesel mechanic and bus driver, my grandfather worked in the freight yard on the Pennsylvania railroad, my uncles and cousins worked deep in the coal mines. One of the things that always impressed me about all these …
A Disciple’s Hands: A Reflection for Labor Day Sunday Continue Reading »
MONDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — The width of a CEO's face may predict how well a company performs, according to a new study. via health.msn.com OK, so here's proof that most leadership theory is just that-theory. It's not how wide your face is, it's what your face is set toward. "Then I set my …
Is Shape of CEO’s Face a Measure of Power? – MSN Health – Health Topics Continue Reading »
Genesis 32:22-32 This spring I had the privilege of coaching some Little League baseball here in Tri-Lakes, along with our lay leader Jim Ambuehl. That’s one of my passions, and I really enjoy being out there with the boys teaching them about the game and teaching them some life lessons as well. We had a …
What if there was a way to get rich and famous quickly without any innate talent or any amount of hard work? How about becoming a virtuoso on a guitar or a violin without having even an hour of practice? Or, maybe, you want to have unlimited knowledge without ever having to go to school …
Exodus 17:1-7 Growing up in the Pittsburgh area in the 1970s, there were several absolutes that a young person took for granted: The Pirates would be a good baseball team, the Steelers would win the Super Bowl, you had to chew up the air before you could breathe it, and Heinz Ketchup would be on …
I am running for election as a clergy delegate from the Rocky Mountain Conference to the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, FL. There are a number of great candidates standing for election in our conference, each with his or her own ideas about the future of the UMC. I submit to you a …
As our denomination gears up for its General Conference in 2012, one of the key pieces for consideration is the report of the "Call to Action" steering committee, which has been looking at ways of stemming our denomination's continued decline in membership. Call to Action recommends the following, according to a UMNS news story: Starting …
The “Effective” Pastor: A Response to the Call to Action Study Continue Reading »
Today we celebrate one of the most important holidays on the church calendar, Pentecost. And yet, unlike Easter and Christmas, it’s not a holiday where people send cards and exchange gifts. Sure, we make the sanctuary red in honor of the “tongues of fire” that descended on the disciples that day, maybe sing a few …
A Spirit-Powered People – Sermon for Pentecost 2011 Continue Reading »