#Unco11
We’re on our way to New York for a week. We’ll do some touristy things, not having been to the Big Apple before, but the reason we’re going is for the 2011 Unconference. #unco11 (as it’s known on Twitter) is a gathering of about 70 adults to build IRL community & learn from one another. … Read more
Deserving Death, Mercy, and Good Friday
The religious leaders tell Pilate “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die…” (John 19:7) because Jesus has committed blasphemy. Hearing that read at today’s Good Friday service reminded me of this passage in J R R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Frodo and Gandalf are discussing Gollum, who … Read more
An Identity Crisis
Eight years ago today (liturgically speaking) I preached for the first time in “big church”…not a devotional or talk but an actual sermon in the awe-inspiring sanctuary of St Paul’s United Methodist (Houston) on a Sunday morning: Transfiguration Sunday. It holds up, I think, and today seems oddly resonant. In honor of how the Holy … Read more
The Preaching Life: Countercultural
…there is a certain contrary character to all faithful preaching…The words of the sermon will be expressing our culture in need–beloved by God, but not itself God. So the preacher’s life, as well, will have certain countercultural strains to it. Perhaps simply being willing to become a preacher was already a beginning. In any case, … Read more
Courage: Hearn Lecture by Bishop Huie
I had the pleasure this evening of getting to hear Bishop Janice Riggle Huie speak at First UMC Beaumont as a part of the Hearn lecture series. It appears that she spoke this morning to the congregation on “Connection,” and this evening’s reflection on “Courage” focused on the story of Paul, Silas, and Jason in … Read more
Where Does God Happen?
At the top of the list of things Josh wrestles with in his own life is my uneasiness within myself as I relate to other people. Whether it’s because I was raised in a loving-yet-high-expectation environment, mocked throughout my school years for my nerdiness (evidence of which has always been in abundance!), or my own … Read more
Living Theologians!
“Ten living practical theologians who have changed my own faith and life and why you should read them too” would be the subtitle of this post, if Blogger would let me do that… A few caveats on this list: I have read more than one thing by each of these authors. There are some great … Read more
Full of Life
Sorry for the bloggus interruptus, but I’m back now. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what is going on at the Student Center: what kind of ministry do we want, what kind of effect should we have at Lamar and elsewhere, how do we get there. The thing I keep coming back to is … Read more
Making Time
I really don’t have the time to be writing this right now. I should be doing a number of other things. Unfortunately, responsibilities don’t take a vacation when things get tough. Neither do disciplines. Not convenient to train for a marathon in the rain? Feeling bad about your poor progress on the piano? Not feeling … Read more
