Old Thought, New Expression

One of those things I first thought at least a decade ago finds expression in the printed word:
The idea of God as  a being who is unchanging, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent and thus always right is more of a philosophical rendering than a biblical one. In metaphysical theology God is thought to be the perfect [...]

On being swept away

I had the great joy last Sunday of worshiping with Marvin United Methodist Church in Tyler, Texas.  They have four worship services each Sunday - 2 at 8:45 and 2 at 11:00.  At each time there is a contemporary and a traditional service.
In the contemporary service, one of the songs we sang, and one with [...]

Christianity Consumed

To what extent ought worship experiences be designed according to to request/suggestion of the congregation?

Crediting God

How do you hear from God?  How do you know it is God?  What kinds of things has God told/showed you?
I just got through with an interesting discussion on this topic with a friend.  He and I are both rather reticent to claim “God told me….” Other than, we agreed, to love, to serve, to [...]

Must-Read

Sally Morgenthaler wrote the book on worship as evangelism. Literally; she wrote the book.
In the latest edition of the Next-Wave E-zine, she writes about her change of course. In this article, Morgenthaler acknowledges that, important as worship is, recent research shows that we are not, in general, reaching the world around us by focusing [...]

Spreading the Lite on Worship

One of the churches at which I’ve served added a contemporary service several years before I got there.  They desrve a lot of  credit as a United Methodist congregation in a small town that was forward-thinking enough to start such an alternative service in the mid 90’s.
On the other hand, I came to realize while I was there, [...]

Get this Podcast

If you only subscribe to one podcast, make it this one. Mars Hill Bible Church in Granville, Michigan, is doing a great job of exploring what church really is and of sharing that exploration with the rest of us through this podcast.

R E S P E C T

We can do it… we have the technology. Here’s a link to my sermon from this past Sunday. It is on its way to becoming a podcast.
“Respect” is our theme for the year, and it starts with “God respects you.”
Enjoy.

What Youth really want (need)

Has Ronco come up with a nifty little gizmo that will revolutionize youth ministry?  If they have, please send me the link.
This week I have been bombarded with claims of “what the youth really want (or need) in our worship services.”  Interestingly, however, every adult who is kind enough to share this insight with me [...]

Reverse the Curse

Today’s lectionary readings include both Genesis 11:1-9 and Acts 2. Actually, Textweek lists the two as options in the place of the Old Testament text; though only the Acts passage is differentiated in the denominational breakdown.
I think it is very insightful to read the Pentecost story in light of the Tower of Babel [...]