Just about every sermon I’ve heard on the book of Job makes much of the false comfort provided by Job’s three friends. They, we’re told, ought to have remained silent, providing “presence” rather speech. And, yes, it is often best not to say anything. But in the last chapter of Job when God finally turns to deal with Job’s friends, notice that God does not rebuke them for speaking. He rebukes them for speaking incorrectly: “My anger burns against you... Read more
One of my Lenten “thoughts”, I won't say spiritual discipline because I don't know that it has that much to do with Jesus, it's just something I sort of “thought” I should do, was to read more poetry. Made it as vague as possible so that even if I read only one poem in forty days I would be able to count it a success. Intend to go quietly and methodically through the Wine Dark Sea's daily doses of art... Read more
Micah J. Murray is “finished” with the slogan: “hate the sin and love the sinner”. Why? Well, as you might have guessed, it has something to do with homosexuality: It’s a special sort of condescending love we’ve reserved for the gay community. We’ll agree to love them, accept them, welcome them — but we reserve the right to see them as different. We reserve the right to say “them” instead of “us.” We embrace them with arms full of disclaimers... Read more
Apperantly there's mores now on the way. Either one inch or nine inches from what I could make out in all my reading. Two bright warm muddy days and then blam, 14 degrees again. I gave the kids the afternoon off from school to be outside yesterday, since they haven't been outside in months, and took a walk even myself. A fleeting, rushed walk, in which I ran desperately ahead of a large garbage truck that was picking up recycling.... Read more
International Women's Day was last week sometime. I didn't click on a single article to read about it. I'm sure a good time was had by all, especially all the women who got flowers. That's the smartest and best thing I've heard or seen in a long time. When I was much younger, hanging about in Mali, I seem to remember that one IWD involved all the women in the village stopping what they were doing to go paint a... Read more
Here’s Sunday’s sermon on Peter’s denial in Mark 14, “The False Gospel of Human Sufficiency” ) Read more
From an old sermon…”The desire to please people is poison for disciples. It leads to tentative, careful, moderate, safe, speech and action. It makes us cowards. Here’s how it works in the church. To be crass for a moment: full pews translate into cash. Cash equals survival. If you leave, or stop giving Good Shepherd dies. There is a lot of temptation for me in that. On top of that, for pastors, a big church means success, influence, glory. You go... Read more
Woke up to the sound of a big truck pulling up next to our window. Looked up at the gray mournful sky and panicked that for some reason the city was coming round for garbage removal now instead of tomorrow. Is it New Years, I wondered, or Christmas? Does every Monday have to be a national holiday? Matt mumbled “classrooms” and went to pour sugar cereal out into bowls because we are awesome awesome parents. That's right, Classrooms. Last year... Read more
Cleaned out the books in Matt's office yesterday. Stacks and stacks of books that came there from I know not where. Piles of flowery looking Christian romance novels, puffy bound Devotionals, compilations of quotes by CS Lewis, self help books, how to have a better marriage in two easy step books, chicken soup for the American soul books. I didn't put any of them there. I think as we've cleaned and decluttered the church Matt's office has become the last... Read more
Ash Wednesday is always complicated. Matt and I both love church, you know, but we have six children, to be stupidly obvious. So any extra service, especially at times like 7am and 7pm, are fraught and take juggling and planning ahead and choices about what can be attempted and not bothered with. But this year we discovered that having an 11 year old and one that’s almost ten and all six of every age reliably independent and self sufficient, is... Read more
Preventing Grace
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