Prepare Ye

Bon Jovi - Keep The Faith (live)

For some reason, I've started writing my sermons as manuscripts, and then making outlines out of them.This week (for Sunday, September 18), I'm trying something REALLLLLLLLY different. My sermon took the form of six one-person monologues. The text is the Parable of the Vineyard Workers, ( Matthew 20.1-16 ) Worker Who Was There All Day (The person is on the phone, and waves to the congregation.) Hey yeah, c’mon in. I’m on hold. Did you hear? Did you hear what happened today? I’m calling the Labor Relations Board. About the vineyard and how unjust that man is? The landowner that’s who. You DID hear what happened? I get up early, like I always do, and go down to the marketplace to wait for the managers to come and hire people. The owner shows up … yeah, the big guy. He picks me and a bunch of other guys. We’re out there by 6 am, and we are working all day. And you know how hot it was out there today. Hold on, sorry, still on hold.  So every few hours some more guys keep com

  This is the manuscript I wrote on Saturday to create an outline from which to preach from on Sunday, September 11, 2011. I didn't stick to it. (I never do.) I've added in some of what I remember saying at the two services. Some of this I used, some I didn't but it all went into the stew, and each congregation got a different mix of veggies and meat in service today. Peter asks Jesus how often you must forgive someone who has sinned against you. This comes from the passage just before this, last week’s Gospel lesson, about what you are to do if someone sins against you. For those of you who weren’t here, let me recap: You are to talk to the person face to face so they understand what they did and how it affected you. If that doesn’t work, then you are to take a couple of friends with you and talk to the person again, again so they understand how what they did has wronged you. Should that not work, then bring the matter, and the person, before the congregation, again pres

Spanning the world wide web to bring you a constant variety of stories and posts ... the thrill of something useful ... and the agony of #EpicFail. From Living Lutheran , by way of the ELCA Southeastern Synod Blog: Do We Love To Tell The Story? - Do we tell about how our congregation is tied into the work of the greater church and the work going on outside our doors and community? From Skating in the Garden ... : What the Church Can Learn From Gordon Ramsey - Ramsey may be the only chef on TV that I won't watch (besides the Barefoot Contessa) and it's for the same reason; they are both asses. He is verbally, she is for another reason . The way Ramsey talks to people who are holding sharp objects just seems headed for a bad end. But "Skating" uses him to make a great point. He is always saying that a restaurant won't be successful until they are giving customers what they want. She goes onto to make the connection that if we don't have enough young peo

This video reeks of awesomeness! Sam of Sam & Dave backed by a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band with Sam Moore - Hold On / Soul Man from the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert

Here is the manuscript version of my sermon from today (September 4) based upon the Matthew 18:15-20 text.) Once upon a time, there was a young man who came from the land of cars, who decided to wander about. He went from the land of cars to the land of where a great battle was fought, then he went and lived on a mountain in the South for a while, then wound up in the land of milk, cheese and butter. And he enjoyed himself in the land of milk, cheese and butter. The people in the land of milk, cheese and butter were nice to the young man from the land of cars. They even let him be their leader one day a week. But then they found out something about the young man from the land of cars. He didn’t pay honor and tribute to the rulers of the land of milk, cheese and butter. He did not bow in reverence when their name was called. “The Green Bay Packers.” He did not ritually wear the Green and the Gold. He did not tremble at the name of Rodgers; he was not in awe of the golden locks of

I'm going to try to make this blog functional again. The key part that was missing ... my motivation. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. PREVIOUSLY ON PREPARE YE: Since the beginning of March, when I had my last "real" post, ( The In Between Times ) I did get the call, and was assigned to a synod in the northwest part of Wisconsin (you can figure it out if you try really hard), flew out to meet the Bishop and his staff, received profiles for a two-point parish (two churches that work together to call a pastor and do other ministries). When I was preparing to come out to meet with the call committee, my mother had a heart attack. Instead of coming for the interview, I went back home to Michigan. I wound up spending the last two weeks of my Senior year with my mom in the hospital or recovering at home. She was bound and determined to come out to Gettysburg for my graduation, and made sure her doctors knew that. We drove out and she saw me graduate. W