Still Hungry? 2nd Sunday of Christmas Colossians 1:17-19 / John 6:24-35, 41-42 Watch the sermon below or read the manuscript. Still Hungry? from First Presbyterian Church on Vimeo. Did you know that all of my recent sermons are available here at sowhatfaith on the sermon page? Read More …
Prayer of Adoration (Second Sunday of Christmas) (#0060)
Praise to the Lord The heavenly mystery – human and divine The earthly reality – God with human flesh The holy child - born on Christmas morn Praise to the Lord The one in whom all things hold together The one who came to save all people The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Praise to the Lord The one who was tested but never swayed The one who was tempted but never sinned The one who died that we might live Praise to the Lord Who inhabits our praises and hear our prayers . . . Note: Read More …
Review of Longing for God (#0059)
Foster, Richard J. and Beebe, Gayle D. Longing for God: Seven Paths of Christian Devotion. InterVarsity Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8308-3514-0. Meet the Authors Richard Foster is the founder of Renovaré, which is a nonprofit organization that advocates, encourages, and resources intentional living and spiritual formation. Additionally, he is the author of many books including Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, Life with God: Reading the Bible for Spiritual Read More …
Prayers of the People (Fourth Sunday of Advent) (#0058)
With childlike anticipation we watch and wait: for advent to become Christmas for light to shine in darkness for Word to become flesh. As we await the ultimate authority spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, we pray that those who lead in classrooms and boardrooms, those with power in government and business, and those who guide the faith community and Read More …
The Future Church – Relational (#0057)
Looking into the Future: The Top 10 Changes for the American Church 3. Relational For many years the trend has been that larger churches are continuing to grow larger while smaller churches continue to decline in membership. In some megachurch settings it is very easy for someone to attend worship and remain anonymous and have little or no interaction with other people. Another trend that has now spanned a few decades is that of emphasizing programs. Many congregations place Read More …
Review of ChurchMorph (#0056)
Gibbs, Eddie. ChurchMorph: How Megatrends are Reshaping Christian Communities. Baker Academic, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8010-3762-7. Meet the Author Eddie Gibbs is Director of the Institute for the Study of Emerging Churches at the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts. He is partially retired from Fuller Theological Seminary where he retains the position of Senior Professor of Church Growth. In his twenty-five years at Fuller, Gibbs has Read More …
Review of Marriage at the Crossroads (#0055)
Spencer, William and Aida and Tracy, Steve and Celestia. Marriage at the Crossroads: Couples in Conversation About Discipleship, Gender Roles, Decision Making, and Intimacy. InterVarsity Press Academic, 2009. Meet the Authors This book is co-authored by two couples. William and Aida Spencer are both ordained pastors in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and both serve on the faculty of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Bill is professor of theology and the arts Read More …
Prayers of the People (First Sunday of Advent) (#0054)
We have sung rather boldly: o come, o come, Emmanuel and now we seek to pray with that same audacity to you who are God with us: Emmanuel. Come God of creation, into a world filled by those who search for ultimate meaning and for deeper understanding. Teach us through increased scientific understanding whether gained through projects as massive as the Hadron Collider or as simple as grade school science fair projects. May our quest for perspective be transformed as we lift up Read More …
Review of Children, Youth, and Spirituality in a Troubling World (#0053)
Moore, Mary Elizabeth Mullino and Wright, Almeda M., eds. Children, Youth, and Spirituality in a Troubling World. Chalice Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-827205-13-0. Meet the Editors Mary Elizabeth Mullino Moore is the Dean of the School of Theology and Professor of Theology and Education at Boston University. Previously she served as Assistant Director and Research Coordinator of the Theology and Ministry Program at Candler School of Theology at Emory Read More …
Review of Surprised by Hope (#0052)
Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. Harper One, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-06-155182-6. Meet the Author N.T. (Nicholas Thomas) Wright is the one of the world's top Biblical scholars and has been called "the world's leading New Testament scholar" by Newsweek. He taught New Testament studies for twenty years at Cambridge, McGill, and Oxford Universities. Wright is currently the Bishop of Durham for Read More …