Posts from May 2013

“It is strange that the Bible is our most treasured book, and yet it seems so difficult that we don’t find it very helpful.  Perhaps we have expected the wrong things of it; we have asked of it what it cannot do.  We have expected the Bible to keep promises that it has never made to us.  The Bible cannot be a good luck piece to bring God’s blessing.  Nor can it be an answer book to solve our problems…

“If you look at a window, you see flyspecks, dust, the crack where Junior’s Frisbee hit it.  If you look through a window, you see the world beyond.  Something like this is the difference between those who see the Bible as a Holy Bore and those who see it as the Word of God, which speaks out of the depths of an almost unimaginable past into the depths of ourselves.” Frederick Buechner (Wishful Thinking p 12) How do you see…

We begin a new worship series this Sunday called Quadrilateral.  We will focus each week on a different part of the Quadrilateral (Scripture, Tradition, Reason, Experience).  The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, 2012, states, “John Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason” (Our Theological Task Paragraph105 Theological Guidelines: Sources and Criteria). Weekly Schedule June 2:  2 Timothy 3.10-17 (Scripture) June 9: 2 Timothy 1.3-7 (Tradition)…

  “The improvising organization creates fluid structures that form, dissolve, and reform as new situations and challenges arise.  Project groups would not be started as the result of a priori abstract planning sessions but emerge as the situation requires.  Groups would come and go, assembled to address issues and serve specific functions and then dissolved.” (from Yes to the Mess p 182) How would this way of thinking allow shifts for your faith community?  

    “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42) Friends old and new gathered around a table.  Good food.   Music playing and candles flickering.  Time to share and pray about how we are doing good, trying to do no harm and staying in love with God.  Formally or informally, this is how my faith has grown.  How do you grow your faith?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBpLKm8vw4M]   Take time to listen to one of the most historic recordings of improvisation in Jazz History.  The Album is “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis.

We have reached the final week our worship series, Yes to the Mess: Surprising Lessons from Jazz & Acts.   This Sunday we arrive at the YES of the Mess by lifting up the learnings we have had over the last 8 weeks.  The messages of this series are on our podcast This week’s worship will be rooted in Acts 2:37-42 This passage lifts up Peter’s dramatic claim that the crucified Jesus of Nazareth is, in fact, the risen Christ of…

In Yes to the Mess, Frank Barrett defines the leadership skill of Provocative Competence:  “…creating space, sufficient support, and challenge so that people will be tempted to grow on their own” (p 139)  He continues later in the chapter when he writes:  “It’s important to create a holding culture, an environment that provides enough stability and reassurance so that people know there is a safety net, someone to watch their backs as they branch out.”   Our Kitchen Table leaders…

Conversation between myself and my 11 year old son Isaac which occurred last Monday:   Isaac:  “Mom, I was watching a documentary on YouTube about Hades (research for his school God/Goddess project).  It says that Jesus wanted all people to come out of the underworld but Hades (who took all of these people to the underworld) did not want that.  So that really annoyed Jesus so he cast Hades into a pit of fire but it didn’t kill him because…

In  “Concerto for Cootie” later named “Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me” listen for the diverse style and range of trumpeter Cootie (Charles Melvin) Williams.  This piece was created specifically for Cootie by Duke Ellington.  Never before had a trumpeter played with such a diverse style and range, from mute to blaring high notes.  Rather than forcing Cootie Williams to conform to an “Ellington sound,”  Ellington created a vehicle for Williams to branch out and discover his own voice.…

John Wesley is known to have said we are to “Preach the faith until you have it and then by having it you will preach faith.” We continue our worship series, Yes to the Mess: Surprising Lessons from Jazz & Acts, this Sunday with emphasis on the double vision that is required to develop new visions while simultaneously understanding that the complete story underneath those visions does not yet fully exist.   This week’s worship will be rooted in  Acts 2.1-21, the story…

“..the simple practice of taking turns leading and supporting might be the single practice most responsible for relational breakthroughs.  Here again jazz provides a ready model.  Jazz bands routinely rotate the ‘leadership’ of the band:  that is, they take turns soloing and supporting other solecists by providing rhythmic and harmonic background.  Each player has an opportunity to develop a musical idea, while others create space for this development to occur.  In order to guarantee these patterns of mutuality and symmetry, players alternate…