Prepare Ye

I've been silent for a while, and will be silent for longer still. My parents were in a car accident last week, and my father passed away last night. Please pray for my mother and my family. thank you

Mmm...mmm...mmm... Early morning, April 4 Shot rings out in the Memphis sky Free at last, they took your life They could not take your pride In the name of love! What more in the name of love? In the name of love! What more in the name of love? In the name of love! What more in the name of love... U2 - Pride (in the name of love)

I took two preaching courses here at The LTS this January. Here is one of the sermons I prepared for the course. This is for the pericope for Proper 6A (June 15) Matthew 9:35 - 10:15 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collect

I saw this post at the Wittenburg Door a few days ago, and it has been creeping me out since. So I had to share with my half dozen (my ego is out of control) readers. . I hope these images do not bring trauma to anyone, but these ads (from 1984 [WTC] and 1979 [PIA]) are just eerie.

I wish I could get excited about any of the knuckleheads running to be the leader of the free world. All of the candidates, IMHO, are flawed, some more than others. I know I'm not going to find someone who agrees with me on all issues, probably not on many, because I'm all over the place (pro-life, anti-gun, pro-withdrawal from Iraq, anti-amnesty for illegal immigrants). So I look for someone who's judgment I trust. Here is my take on the field. For the Elephants: John McCain - I voted for him in the Michigan Primary in 2000. I disagree with him on several issues, but I trust his judgment. The past few years where he has been W's lap dog have turned me off, and the fact he is willing to have a US presence for 100 years, NO . Mitt Romney - I don't know what it is, but I wouldn't buy a car from him. I feel he's slimier than a diner hamburger. NO. Mike Huckabee - Change the constitution to match "God's teaching?" Approving of the Confederate fl

I'm off to Dulles Airport to pick up our JTerm students who are returning from Mexico. I wrote this for my home church's newsletter, I hope you (pl.) may get a smile from it. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. - Ephesians 4:7, 11-13 I’ve been busy writing sermons for my January courses. Hopefully, I will get a chance to share them with you over my spring break in March. For this month, this is a prayer I wrote one morning. It comes from leaving your TV on all night when there is a “Home Improvement” marathon on that night. Lord, use me as a tool to serve your kingdom. Let me be a hammer, so you can drive i

Well, I'm cleaning up from the pity party I held for myself yesterday. So to brighten my day, I went to The LTS bookstore and bought my Spring Term books. As I'm carrying a gym bag full of books that cost as much as a rent payment, I'm watching the snow that overwhelmed PA & MD melt. I realize that our sins, our faults and fears, are like this snow. When it falls, the blizzard it creates causes us to shut down. But in the light and warmth of Jesus Christ, it melts away and leaves no trace of itself.

Not one of my best days here at The LTS. The preaching classes went pretty well and my sermons have been well received. But just as the snows started to fall, I sent a message that I meant one way, and someone took another way. And I hurt a friend's feelings. And I feel bad about that. Unfortunately, you can't un-ring a bell. Plus, I got my first pair of glasses that have two lenses with in each lens. And I feel bad about that. Fortunately, my ego isn't that big. Then I watch this video. And I listen to the words. And I think. And I feel bad. And I wonder, why? Annie Lennox - Why (from Live 8)

Sorry for the lack of posts, but writing multiple sermons is a bit more overwhelming than I thought. Two are kinda done, save for last minute edits, and the last one is mapped out. After I present the Matthew sermon later this week, I'll post it. The others are getting saved for real use pre Easter. But after this theology quiz, I may be like Ryan Mallett and transferring..... Which theologian are you? created with QuizFarm.com You scored as John Calvin Much of what is now called Calvinism had more to do with his followers than Calvin himself, and so you may or may not be committed to TULIP, though God's sovereignty is all important. John Calvin 87% Anselm 73% Karl Barth 53% Augustine 53% Friedrich Schleiermacher 47% Jonathan Edwards 47% Martin Luther 40% Charles Finney 40% Paul Tillich 33% Jürgen Moltmann 27%

It's J-Term time here at The LTS. A time when smart boys and girls go to Switzerland, Mexico, Atlanta or do independent studies in their hometowns or take multicultural courses. Me, I take two preaching classes so I have to write four sermons in ten days along with reading mega commentaries and other materials, as well as reading, listening, or otherwise absorbing several other sermons. Me Dumb! So don't expect much updating here until the 19th, and the preaching press is over. I keep telling myself it's good real life training, but then I tell myself to do unspeakable things with that sunshine attitude. Talking to yourself is fine, isn't it. It SURE is! Also, I lead worship today at the Church of the Abiding Presence. My intoning skills, or lack of them, was not as horrible as my performance at home over Christmas. I mean, nobody walked out, and the few who were bleeding from the eardrums seemed to have the bleeding under control.

I received a link to the Gratitude Campaign from a friend, and rather than bulk emailing it, I thought I'd post it here where almost half-dozens may see it. No matter what you may think about the policies that have sent our troops into harm's way, you must respect the sacrifices the troops and their families are making. Thank you. http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php

For those of you who missed the LL Cool J reference with the last post, I should have remembered the next line, "I don't think so." So after two abortive attempts to head back on New Year's Day and the Day Everybody Goes Back to Work and Does Nothing Day (C) , I finally got back to The LTS on Thursday. Had dinner with one of my classmates who stayed on campus all break (such a brave trooper) and realized that JTerm is going to be a bit of a ghost town with people on multicultural trips all over the world. But, it's nice to be here. Now I just have to study for the two quizzes I have for my first classes on Monday. BTW, it's been out a while, but I recommend the Beatles "Love" CD. It is a number of Beatles songs remixed for a Cirque du Solai performance in Vegas. While Revolution is my favorite track, this song fit the post's title better. BTW2, my favorite non-denominational church had a great Advent series (even if they called it their Christmas