Before worship this last Sunday, there were many members who shared in a prayer walk around the church inviting the presence of the Holy Spirit to be present in every space and moment. Each of us walked silently in prayer covering various parts of the church knowing that within an hour those spaces would be filled with hearts for God.
As I sit today on my back porch working on my upcoming sermon, I find myself thinking a bit differently about the back porch which I love. This last year I was able to replace the screens with windows. I always loved my screened porch but the windows allow me to spend more time there. It is easily my favorite room in my house.
The month of September is National Suicide Prevention month. I was reminded of that this week as I, along with other United Methodist clergy in Indiana, were informed that this week one of our own clergy, 24 year old Rev. Jarrid Wilson, took his own life. This leaves me with much sadness that Jarrid was experiencing such hopelessness that led to this result and such sadness for his family and friends who now grief his loss.
Archived Posts
What just missed the cut for Sunday’s Sermon
Naaman’s servants may actually become one of the hidden gems of the sermon. They say, essentially: “If the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it.”
One of the Longest Benedictions I Ran Out of Time to Share
Maybe you know the story of how Joseph and Mary accidentally left Jesus at the gas station on their way home from Jerusalem. Well, not the gas station bathroom in Jesus’ case. Joe and Mary are far down the road before they realize Jesus isn’t with them...
So many quips and quotes...
So little time to preach
I wonder what Mary and Martha’s phones might look like:
* Martha = the open browser with 27 tabs
* Mary = the single window that matters
* Psalm 46 = God saying, “Close the tabs.”
Quotable Outtakes That Didn’t Make the Sermon This Week
“When you try to control everything, you don’t just exhaust yourself—you quietly replace trust in God with trust in you.” & more
There is a challenge when it comes to preaching the Word of God.
Preachers are called to open up and interpret the word—inspired and written down thousands of years ago—and make it relevant to a very different world. On top of that there’s a degree of persuasion that goes along with the process.