Cooper is here April 21, 2006
Posted by writereverend in Fatherhood.add a comment
Wanted everyone to know that Cooper James has arrived! He was born April 19, 2006 at 6:31pm. He weighed 8lbs. 5oz. and was 21 1/4 inches long. Both baby and mommy are home safe and sound.
What makes me (or you) right? April 17, 2006
Posted by writereverend in Church of the Brethren.1 comment so far
This morning I was reading the April 2006 edition of our denominational magazine, Messenger (http://www.brethren.org/genbd/messenger). The title for this month was entitled, "Being the Church: What does it mean to be together?" For the past few months the denomination has been investigating whether or not the church can find a common ground for respectful conversation – even with those with whom we disagree! My understanding behind this is that our denomination is simply reflecting the polarization of United States society. Regardless of what terms you prefer to use: liberal and conservative, blue state and red state, so on and so forth, one must admit that there are becoming increasingly, sharp divisions and segments within the population. The church as it is composed of members of society is simply reflecting what has already been seen within society. The Church of the Brethren is no exception to this. There are continually splitting factions within our denomination and unless we can come together then we will cease to be. (for better or worse)
So it is especially pertinent to our denomination that we find ways in which we can come together rather than divide, or we at least need to see if we are still able to come together or not. Feeling optimistic that we can still come together regardless of our differences, I opened the magazine for a look. I felt even more encouraged as I saw an advertisement on the inside cover for the cross cultural luncheon at our denomination's annual conference. Then on page one was listed the index of articles written with "Being the church," heading the list on page 8. Things were going well so I flipped to page two and read the publisher's note and on to the next page for "Around the denomination," a page that highlights what has been happening within the church. My good feelings went away quickly as I read what had happned within the Atlantic Southeast district (Florida and Puerto Rico). I learned that the district board at a recent meeting had went "on record" that same-sex marriages will not be be performed or blessed in the district's churches or by its pastors.
How quickly is it that we have moved from all coming to Christ's table to having a guest list for only a selected few – the frozen chosen. It just really burns me up that we (the church) have worked so hard at excluding our sisters and brothers who may be different than we are. Why is that we think that we're so right and that they are so wrong? Or why does there have to be "us" and "them?" Such contradictory and hypocritical statements are being made within our denomination, and we wonder why our members are leaving like rats on a sinking ship? More on this later.
April 16 – Easter Sunday April 12, 2006
Posted by writereverend in Sermons.3 comments
I am planning on using the resurrection story from Mark. How is Christ alive in your life? Why must he be alive in our lives or our faith is dead?
Mark 16:1-8
Sunday’s Scripture April 5, 2006
Posted by writereverend in Sermons.1 comment so far
Thought I'd post the Scripture that I'm preparing to use in Sunday's sermon. Have thoughts about it? Post them and who knows, maybe I'll use some of them.
John 12:12-15; Psalm 118:1-2,19-24
Reading List April 4, 2006
Posted by writereverend in My reading list.add a comment
Thought I would put add an annotated bibliography of books that I am currently reading.
1) The Heart of Christianity, Marcus J. Borg. A solid theology book that is written for both the novice, the expert, and the one somewhere in between. Especially good book for those who have dismissed Christianity as a religion only for those who are dead from the neck up.
2) The Violence of Love, Oscar Romero. A collection of the archbishop's public addresses and sermons. A good dose of liberation theology for those who may feel stuck or powerless in their current situation.
3) Sacred Space 2006. A wonderful, daily devotional from the Irish Jesuits. Simple yet powerful in its delivery. Watch what happens when God is turned loose in your life!
4) The New Interpreter's Study Bible (NRSV). Did you really think that I wouldn't include the Bible? Wonderful as it strives to be more inclusive, especially in its commentary. Very good, biblical scholarship for those who like to find out more about what they are reading.
5) Worship and Hospitality, Steve Clapp and Fred Bernhard. A book on how to make the church more welcoming and hospitable to guests and visitors to the congregation. Not just for pastors or leaders in the church but is necessary for everyone!
6) Walking a Sacred Path, Dr. Lauren Artress. I've just started this one but it is about rediscovering the labryinth as a spiritual tool. I find labryinths interesting although admittedly I do not know much about them. This should help in that area!
Recently finished books:
1) Letters to a Young Doubter, William Sloane Coffin
Do I not count? April 4, 2006
Posted by writereverend in Fatherhood.3 comments
How many of you dads out there, after recovering from the initial shock of it all, went to find out more about your partner's pregnancy? I know as a first-time dad, I wanted to know more about what was happening in my wife and baby's life as the days, weeks, and months went by. Admittedly, I did not know a lot about pregnancy other than the fact that she was having the baby and I wasn't! So I searched around, found a book or two on the topic and read some magazines on the subject. But as I was reading the magazines, I looked more carefully at the covers and saw that they were all geared towards women. I was not too surprised by that fact since 100% of births are done by women, but slightly perturbed by the fact that there was nothing written in them for fathers to be. I think one magazine was entitled Parents or Parenting but was geared exclusively towards women. If I was a woman, I would be outraged that this is the 21st century and they still assume that only women can properly raise a child. But as a man, I was still outraged that it didn't seem to matter that I had a part in the process of creation and also want to be a part after the birth. Sure there was a paragraph, maybe two but rarely a whole page devoted to what dad may be going through. And usually it was written by a woman. Come on, how fair is that? So women and magazine editors, do you want me to be good dad, then include me in your target audience!
Hello world! April 3, 2006
Posted by writereverend in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Greetings. For those of you who are more familiar with the web, technology, grammar, the English language, etc. please forgive my bumbling attempt at a blog. As you could probably guess from the title, I am an ordained pastor in the Church of the Brethren. So who in the world is the Church of the Brethren (CoB)? If you don't know the answer, you can post a question and I'll try and reply or better yet, jump on your favorite search engine and look it up! I will also probably talk some about my denomination, my experiences as a pastor and Christianity as a whole, but my original intent was to provide a forum for dads to express their feelings. Mainly because I am about to become a father for the first time and I am a little more than frustrated about the lack of info out there for dads. And before you even start, I know there is some info out there and I've read a great deal about it and for the most part, I've found it less than helpful at best. Usually the stuff I've found has little to do with what I'm thinking or feeling and so I thought this would provide a way for me to vent. So dads, speak up! Let me know what you're thinking and feeling. Just because we can't give birth, do we not feel? Just because we do not lactate, do we not bleed?
