Presby-Musings

This week we are concluding the sermon series that we've been working on for the past several weeks--a sermon series entitled, "Small Things Big Difference." At the core of this series is a very simple, yet very profound idea:   It's often the small things that no none sees that result in the big things everyone wants. What do you think it will take to have the life that you've always wanted--to have a full, abundant life ?  Do you see people who have it all together and wonder how they do it?  Maybe you have a friend who has an incredible marriage, and yours doesn't measure up.  Perhaps you know someone who has the faith that can move mountains--and you sometimes wonder if God is even aware of you at all.  Or maybe you have a co-worker who just seems to find unbelievable joy in his work, and you don't. Sometimes in the face of these kinds of comparisons it is easy to get discouraged and to believe that it will take far more than you have to offer ...

Over the course of the last two weeks, we've explored the first two of what we call "The Five Things ," the core values of our church.  The Five Things are: Worship, Pray, Grow, Love and Serve. We've been working on a very basic premise throughout this entire series:  "We are made of what we value."  This isn't just a metaphor, as it turns out.  As we've learned, the tens of trillions of atoms that make us us are being exchanged with other things and other people at the rate of billions per second.  And this exchange of energy affects us in very real ways. Which explains why being surrounded by negativity, darkness, depravity, sadness and the like has a negative affect on our mood, our outlook and even our physical well-being. And it also explains why surrounding ourselves with beauty, truth, hope, peace and love has the exact opposite affect.  The Apostle Paul , who wrote half of the New Testament in the Bible once wrote about this very th...

This week we are continuing the sermon series that we've been working on for the past several weeks--a sermon series entitled, "The Mission: Living the Christian Life--Like A Christian." Each week we have been wrestling with the question, "Jesus is Risen... Now What?"  And each week we have taken on a different aspect of the Christian life: faith, courage, love and now today we'll be exploring forgiveness. To begin with, I need to state something obvious:  Forgiveness is hard.  It's not easy to forgive when you've been terribly wronged.  I have some experience with these kinds of things. For example, I stopped watching American Idol when Chris Daughtry was voted off the show.  Chris Daughtry was the bizzomb.  I totally had a man crush on Chris Daughtry.  He wore cool clothes and was the first real rock and roll singer on American Idol.  I don't count that Constantin kid.  You might remember the year that Chris Daughtry should ...

This week we are continuing the sermon series, "The Mission: Living the Christian Life--Like a Christian."  Each week during this series we're wrestling with a question that has plagued Christians for centuries, " Jesus is Risen---Now What? " Our focus today is on love, which I am sure we all can agree is a fairly important aspect of the Christian life.  At least we would like to think we would all agree on this.  More on that later.  But first, I must embarrass myself. This is my Senior photo from 1986: Yeah.  That happened.  Here's the most awesome part---I still have that tie. It's photos like this that beg the question, "What was I thinking ?" Funnily enough... I actually can tell you what I was thinking about a few things:  I was thinking that Van Halen was not nearly as good without David Lee Roth .  I was also thinking that I wanted to be a writer one day.  I thought that parachute pants were fairly awesome when worn wi...

In which I post that I am journeying Way Out West, not to set up like a Cowboy (pointless Kid Rock reference), but to attend CraftLab a creative jam session with the Rev. Rob Bell --author, speaker, pastor, a man who is on-tour-with- Oprah ...  And in which people ask, "Hey, isn't that the guy who says there isn't a hell?"   To which I reply...  "Read these blog posts--blasts from the past that will explain all, reveal all, and probably not make that much difference at all--at least to the very few people who would rather hate than appreciate."   In which I comment on Rob Bells's provocative book: "Love Wins"  http://www.presbymusings.com/2011/03/love-wins-event.html In which I review Rob Bell's provocative book:  "Love Wins"  http://www.presbymusings.com/2011/03/love-wins-review.html In which I comment on an obnoxious Christian my wife met in a Bookstore http://www.presbymusings.com/2011/05/i-should-have-known...

This week we'll be celebrating a very special Sunday: The Sunday after Easter.  I say "celebrating" because it sounds better. But we all know what's about to happen. My church had a record number of people attend worship last Sunday--both in person and online.  I have a new tattoo and a haircut to prove it (see previous posts if that last sentence messed you up).  Now comes reality. Welcome to "Low" Sunday as it has become known. Or if you prefer, "Black" Sunday, because the incredible shining mood everyone felt when the church was full on Easter will be undoubtedly replaced with a darker mood when it's not full the Sunday after. Or my favorite: "Cannonball" Sunday--so named because you can fire a cannonball in the sanctuary and not hit anyone... allegedly. Here's the thing--it wasn't always like this.  The Greek Christians of old used to call this "Holy Humor" Sunday or something like that.  They wou...