I have an ever evolving sermon creation method. I am not a gifted speaker. But I have become a bit of a student of the artform. I ultimately see the sermon as an oral artform and rarely write a manuscript. Instead I have this method of gathering data and creating a ‘pathway’ for the message. I have created an Evernote Data Sheet for this method, which you … Continue reading My Sermon Writing Method
TEXT Psalm 24 Of David. A Psalm. The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who … Continue reading Bible Leads: Psalm 24
Mary Poppins: A Starting Place I was watching Mary Poppins with my children the other day. There is a scene where Mary Poppins is talking about Mr. Banks’ general inattentiveness to his surroundings. In teaching Jane and Michael about the birdwoman on the steps of St. Paul’s Mary Poppins remarks that “sometimes a person we love, through no fault of their own, can’t see past … Continue reading The Confederate Flag, Mary Poppins, Family Systems Theory, American Exceptionalism and Some Cute German Girls I Met in England
TEXT Psalm 48 A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defence.Then the kings assembled, they came … Continue reading Bible Leads: Psalm 48
I can only think of one good reason to not preach on the Charleston shootings: you can’t think of anything to say. Maybe you had exhausted all the things you could say after Ferguson or Staten Island or Baltimore, or Trayvon Martin or Tamir Rice. I understand. I don’t quite condone it, since speaking to the sins of the world is part of the preacher’s … Continue reading On Not Preaching about Charleston
This is part of a series I’m writing about My Dream Church. My Dream Church is a Cafe Church (not a church with a cafe). See the Introduction here. My Dream Church is a Cafe Church called Perkatory. This is not a church with a cafe, but a cafe that is a church. The cafe serves as a central element to the rest of the church. … Continue reading Perkatory: Community Context of My Dream Church
TEXT Mark 5:21-43 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands … Continue reading Bible Leads: Mark 5:21-43
A letter to my to-be-third-born, lost in utero last month. Dear Camille, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you did, even by just being for a short amount of time. You shook off of me a great deal of complacency and shone a light on my life. You showed me my frustration and dissatisfaction. Through this revelation, I have discovered my gifts and have … Continue reading For Camille, a Thanksgiving, May you Rest in Peace and Never Know Hatred
Bible Leads is a rendering of my sermon preparation: researching facts & cross-references, drawing up connections through personal experiences, art and music and discerning the essence of the text. Text Mark 4:35-41 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just … Continue reading Bible Leads: Mark 4:35-41
Bible Leads is a rendering of my sermon preparation: researching facts & cross-references, drawing up connections through personal experiences, art and music and discerning the essence of the text. Text Mark 4:26-34 He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he … Continue reading Bible Leads: Mark 4:26-34
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