This post is not to criticize any of my youth pastor friends. We are writing job descriptions at my church, and I was wondering, if I ever became a youth pastor again, what would my philosophy be? Continue reading What does a youth pastor do?
Call to Worship: Words and Relationships
During pre-marital counseling, one topic I share with the couple is communication. When people have a conversation, there are four levels of communication:
- What I said.
- What you heard.
- What I meant.
- What you think I meant. Continue reading Call to Worship: Words and Relationships
Call to Worship: Responsive Reading on Wisdom
Wisdom is an important thing; therefore gain wisdom;
and with our gain, also gain understanding.
The path of the wise is like the light of the sunrise,
Which grows brighter and brighter with the passing of the day. Continue reading Call to Worship: Responsive Reading on Wisdom
Strange Fruit & New Fruit
This post may be a case of “misinterpreting boldly so that the Spirit may come” (Ken Schenck).
Yesterday, as I drove away from seminary to visit my brother in Chicago, I had NPR on the radio. A story that played was a recollection of the lynching that led to song “Strange Fruit.” Although the song speaks about “southern trees” being the hanging trees, this particular famous/infamous lynching occurred in Marion, IN. When I learned that fact, I suddenly felt creepy; Marion, IN is where Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University is located. I realize that Marion is a very different place than it was 1930, and few, if any, of the adults who were a part of this crime are alive today, but as an African-American, some things just disturb my spirit.
Call to Worship: I Feel Like . . . Me
Recently, I have been asked numerous times, “So, do you feel like a father?” I heard similar questions after I graduated from college, after I was married, and after I was ordained. How I feel, was an awkward question to answer, because I did not have any baseline experience or feelings to compare. Each of those situations were new life experiences. Continue reading Call to Worship: I Feel Like . . . Me
Fathers Day 2010
Call to Worship: Really Living
In 1992, someone calculated how a typical lifespan of 70 years is spent. Here is the estimate:
- Sleep – 23 years
- Work – 16 years
- Television – 8 years
- Eating – 6 years
- Travel – 6 years
- Leisure – 4.5 years
- Illness – 4 years
- Dressing – 2 years
- Religion – 0.5 years Continue reading Call to Worship: Really Living
Call to Worship: Listening to God
The theme for this week’s service is listening to God.
There is a story told of President Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what he said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.”
The USA’s Epic Poem
This post is for all my friends who studied the Humanities.
If I could teach a college course, I think it would be fun to teach a course on epic poetry. It would probably be similar to a world mythology course, but for the final paper the student would have to choose an epic poem for the United States, and defend that choice based upon U.S. history, American values, and what we have learned about epic poems over the course of the semester. Continue reading The USA’s Epic Poem
Call to Worship: Self Control
The theme for this Sunday’s service is self control.
When my wife and I went to our first OBGYN appointment, the nurse practitioner informed my wife of what she should expect for weight gain over the course of her pregnancy. Then the nurse practitioner turned to me and sternly said, “You should not gain any weight.” I did not quite follow her admonition. If not for giving up desserts for Lent, I might be looking eight months pregnant as well. I did not use much will power over the past few months.