I recently started using an iPad (first generation "refurbished") in the pulpit, and it's been a great tool for preaching on a lot of levels. In this post, I review a few apps that any iPreacher ought to consider downloading to make Sundays even cooler: 1. Dropbox – A free dropbox account (dropbox.com) allows you …
We've posted audio of this week's sermon here. You really need to listen to, rather than read, this one. The "script" for Cinderella's stepmother is by Edwin Friedman from Friedman's Fables, and is wonderfully performed by Laura Douthit. I include the "sermon" text below, for those who want the interpretation/exposition piece, but you'll need to …
Fables for Families: Cinderella’s Stepmother Continue Reading »
Hey GBOD webinar folks: For Bob Kaylor's other blog, "The New Pastor," click here.
Luke 10:38-42 One hot summer evening, while Mrs. Brown was straightening her house, a spider called Ms. Mary Muffet spun a perfect web containing absolutely regular polygons. Ms. Muffet was not immediately aware of the excellence of her work. As she waited for her prey, she finally saw the perfect symmetry of her web. No …
Fables for Families: Caught in Her Own Web Continue Reading »
With all the talk about tomorrow being Judgment Day, I'm reminded of my favorite juxtaposition of bumper stickers I saw awhile back. The first one I saw said, "In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned." The second one, however, was the better one: "In case of rapture, can I have your car?" I've …
Exodus 32 – Moses, Aaron, and the Golden Calf Conflict. We love to watch it on TV, but hate it in our homes, workplaces, and churches. Ask most people and they’d tell you that they’d just rather avoid it altogether. It’s less painful that way…but the reality is that conflict is a part of being …
Fables for Families: The Trouble with Triangles Continue Reading »
Numbers 22:21-33 When little John was about a year old, his parents noticed very thin fibers protruding through his pores. After another few months the fibers has extended themselves and began to form curls. The condition alarmed his parents, so they took little John to the doctor. The physician announced: Little John was unique in …
Much has been written over the last several days about the daring raid that took down the world's most wanted terrorist. I've read a lot of commentary from ordinary citizens, officials, military analysts, and even a few of my clergy colleagues. Having had a few days to digest it, I figured it was a good …
The Death of bin Laden – A Pastor’s Response Continue Reading »
We begin a new sermon series this week called “Fables for Families,” which is all about family systems. The “fables” we will be using are taken from the work of Edwin H. Friedman, the late rabbi and family therapist. I hope these stories, along with their biblical and personal parallels, help you to becoming a …
John 20:1-18 You may or may not have caught this, but April 12, just a couple of weeks ago, was the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, thus beginning four of the bloodiest years in American history. …
In one of the more interesting juxtapositions of dates, today is celebrated as "Earth Day" throughout the world, while much of the world also celebrates "Good Friday." What's most interesting to me about this is the fact that many of my Christian brethren are using today to be indignant about the culture's fascination with the …
John 11 On a typical day in Daejeon, South Korea, Jung Joon puts several people into wooden coffins and pounds the lids shut with a wooden hammer. That wouldn’t seem unusual if Jung were an undertaker, as his blue suit and funeral director demeanor would seem to indicate. Nor would it be unusual if the …
Back when I was a young infantry lieutenant, we used to have a class every so often with one of the guys from the NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) branch, who would come to the unit to teach us what we were supposed to do if a nuclear device went off near our foxholes. These guys …
The UMC Leadership Summit: A View from the Foxhole Continue Reading »
Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel The Idiot contains a wild and tragic character named Nastasia Philapovna. She is a temptress who enjoys seducing men of all sorts with her charm and intoxicating beauty. After spending only an hour with her, each of these men fall madly in love with her, but Nastasia takes even more delight by …
This week we’re diving into one of the most well-known chapters in the whole Bible—John 3 and the story of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus. This is one of those passages, however, that often needs a fresh look because our familiarity can sometimes blind us to the deeper layers of meaning John gives us here. Nicodemus …
Nick at Night: Nicodemus and the New Birth Continue Reading »