We preachers tend to think about what we preach about. Yesterday's sermon was on resolutions. I've been thinking more about the notion of failing at how we want to improve our lives. When it comes to the growth of our soul, that which needs our attention will continue to present itself to our awareness. In other words, the development of our spiritual lives will not be solved by a one-time resolution. The issue will keep coming at us over and over again. Part of the spiritual solution is to not expect easy or final answers.
Someone once defined maturity as "realizing the most important lessons in life are the ones we thought we already knew." So why are we surprised when an issue we thought was solved comes back? We also are tempted to seek new solutions to these old problems thinking it is like other problems in American life: it must need a new solution since the old solutions don't work! What a trap! The answers always lie deep in the heart of God's grace.
Grace and peace,
Dave
Monday, January 7, 2008
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Christmas Silliness
Here's a silly elf cartoon featuring the four professional ministers at St. John United Methodist Church in Anchorage, Alaska. Would you want to have pastors like these?
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9633101184
Dave
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9633101184
Dave
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
What are you waiting for?
We don’t know how to wait! Everything in our techno-culture is screaming towards efficiency. Saving time is one of the basic criteria in new product development. Cell phones help us use “down time” productively. Internet innovations promise more features that help us be more efficient with time. I am shopping for a pressure cooker which promises to cook food quickly.
There are two kinds of time. Chronos is the ticking of the clock; sequential time. Many of today’s products actually do save us chronos. But there is also Kairos which signifies "a time in between", a moment of undetermined period of time in which "something" special happens. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative nature. We could say that kairos is God’s time. I’m not sure that modern technology is helping us to save “kairos” time. So what are we to do with Advent? It is a time to wait, a time to prepare. I would ask that we all DO something to help us nurture kairos time. Maybe it is to sit down each day with the Advent devotional and our Bibles. Maybe we will want to volunteer serving meals at Bean’s Café. Perhaps we will be able to put more kairos into our Christmas, toning down the spending, and giving alternative gifts.
This is a request that each of us get in touch with the power of waiting. In doing so may we each discover our God in the midst of kairos moments.
There are two kinds of time. Chronos is the ticking of the clock; sequential time. Many of today’s products actually do save us chronos. But there is also Kairos which signifies "a time in between", a moment of undetermined period of time in which "something" special happens. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative nature. We could say that kairos is God’s time. I’m not sure that modern technology is helping us to save “kairos” time. So what are we to do with Advent? It is a time to wait, a time to prepare. I would ask that we all DO something to help us nurture kairos time. Maybe it is to sit down each day with the Advent devotional and our Bibles. Maybe we will want to volunteer serving meals at Bean’s Café. Perhaps we will be able to put more kairos into our Christmas, toning down the spending, and giving alternative gifts.
This is a request that each of us get in touch with the power of waiting. In doing so may we each discover our God in the midst of kairos moments.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Thoughts on Thanksgiving
TAKING OUR THANKSGIVING TO THE DEPTHS OF WHO WE ARE CAN HELP US DEAL WITH LOSS.
How comfortable are you in probing the depths of your soul? Do you become anxious when someone begins talking about feelings that reside at the core of who we are? It’s certainly not something I want to talk about every day with God or anyone else. But I do need to spend some time slowly knowing who I am down deep in my heart. If I don’t allow my thanksgiving to take me to the depths, then the hurt of a sudden and unexpected loss will take me there and it will feel very strange and lonely and painful. Why? Because I won’t be familiar with the deep places. I won’t know my way around. Major losses in our lives will be felt, not at the surface, but at the very depths of who we are.I know it and you know it. Everyone of us will get that phone call or visit from someone telling us about a tragic loss. If we have already spent time with our thanksgiving in the deep places, we will know that God is with us even during the most difficult and grief-stricken time of our lives.
How comfortable are you in probing the depths of your soul? Do you become anxious when someone begins talking about feelings that reside at the core of who we are? It’s certainly not something I want to talk about every day with God or anyone else. But I do need to spend some time slowly knowing who I am down deep in my heart. If I don’t allow my thanksgiving to take me to the depths, then the hurt of a sudden and unexpected loss will take me there and it will feel very strange and lonely and painful. Why? Because I won’t be familiar with the deep places. I won’t know my way around. Major losses in our lives will be felt, not at the surface, but at the very depths of who we are.I know it and you know it. Everyone of us will get that phone call or visit from someone telling us about a tragic loss. If we have already spent time with our thanksgiving in the deep places, we will know that God is with us even during the most difficult and grief-stricken time of our lives.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Sermon on 20-something generation
So what would a sermon designed to help other generations understand the unique aspects of being a 20-something look like? Isn't it interesting that we have a record of Jesus as a baby and a 12 year old. Then it picks up with his public ministry at about age 30. But we have nothing about his twenties. I wonder what he was like as a 25 year old?
Help an old baby boomer preacher be your advocate. Tell me what others need to know about your generation.
dave
Help an old baby boomer preacher be your advocate. Tell me what others need to know about your generation.
dave
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A Vision for Students Today
My graduate student daughter sent me this video about college life today. Pretty interesting video essay. I wonder what will change as a result of the igeneration. What do you think?
http://www.glumbert.com/media/visionstudents
dave
http://www.glumbert.com/media/visionstudents
dave
Monday, October 22, 2007
Change
In worship on October 21 we talked about change and the need to move from our left brain to our right brain. In other words, fact and information alone are not enough to motivate us to make changes in our lives. We need a story, an identity, something that elicits emotion.
If we are to reach young people in today’s modern culture we simply must find ways to translate the gospel message to a language 20-somethings will understand. It’s not unlike missionaries who learn the language of the people they want to reach. It is clear that young adults understand the language of the internet. With the encouragement of my 25 year old daughter I have begun a blog page. Its purpose is to engage young people’s questions. I hope to create brief video clips to post on the page that will respond to their questions. All of this is a step to help them transition into the doors of our church and discover this wonderful, grace-filled community of faith.
It’s all part of expanding our story, reframing our reality to include a new generation. I hope you will join me in making the necessary changes to continue our mission to make disciples of Christ and to be a welcoming family joyfully sharing God’s light.
Dave
If we are to reach young people in today’s modern culture we simply must find ways to translate the gospel message to a language 20-somethings will understand. It’s not unlike missionaries who learn the language of the people they want to reach. It is clear that young adults understand the language of the internet. With the encouragement of my 25 year old daughter I have begun a blog page. Its purpose is to engage young people’s questions. I hope to create brief video clips to post on the page that will respond to their questions. All of this is a step to help them transition into the doors of our church and discover this wonderful, grace-filled community of faith.
It’s all part of expanding our story, reframing our reality to include a new generation. I hope you will join me in making the necessary changes to continue our mission to make disciples of Christ and to be a welcoming family joyfully sharing God’s light.
Dave
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