If you are following the Revised Common Lectionary you are probably pondering one or more of the readings from here. I am not preaching this Sunday, for the first time in I don’t know when….but if I were I’d ponder the plumb line in Amos and somehow connect it to the tipping point in Mark where… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: Thirsty Edition
Here in the northern hemisphere, it has been summer, and hotter than “normal” in lots of places. In our Texas home, well, summer is always hot, but even we have set record temperatures. That’s led to photos like this: It’s important, in the heat, to have a steady and abundant supply of water. I find… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: Move Closer
Welcome to the party. I’ve been out of town this week (and most of the last 3), so I’m writing my sermon at the Denver Airport today. I’m frustrated by snarled travel plans, but glad I’m getting home, more or less on time. The RCL post from earlier in the week is here. Are you… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: Storms ahead
As another Sunday rolls around, what challenges are you facing as you seek to speak truth to power in your particular context? Are you preaching RCL this week? Are you with David and Goliath or the disciples in a storm? If so, you’ll find some discussion on those texts in Tuesday’s Lectionary Post. This… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: Walking Faith
My congregation and I have been working with a group out of Houston, Texas called “Faithwalking.” They have created a leadership formation process that engages principles from Murray Bowen’s Family Systems theory, Ron Heifitz’s leadership ideas, Brene Brown’s teachings on healthy self, and other concepts for living a healthy whole life. What I love about… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party . . . Graduation Edition!
I don’t know about you all, but we are celebrating high school and college graduations on Sunday ~ which will shorten the sermon somewhat. And guess what I’ve purchased for our graduates? Copies of MaryAnn McKibben Dana’s God, Improv, and the Art of Living! Deciding to give a RevGals book was easy ~ which one… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: powered by YouTube musicals edition
It’s that time again, friends—time to write a sermon! Which also means time to procrastinate in both more and less productive ways. Some of us, I know, procrastinate by doing things like cleaning the house. The sermon may not be done, but the laundry is! Others of us (read: me) procrastinate by following the auto-play… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: 3 in 1
In the Church of Scotland, this past week has seen our General Assembly take place in Edinburgh, a week long flurry of debates, deliberations and determination. During the week, we commemorated the decision of the Assembly 50 years ago to permit women to be ordained to Ministry of word and Sacrament. It was a week,… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: Mashup Edition
We have an ice cream truck in our neighborhood. Last night, it played the following songs: “You Are My Sunshine,” “Deck the Halls,” “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” along with some others. It was quite the mashup of tunes. And this is quite the mashup of Sundays: Mother’s Day (in the U.S.), some of us will… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: still Easter!
As we approach the sixth Sunday of Easter, it can be tricky to convince people we are indeed still celebrating the resurrection. In northern hemisphere churches we are competing with warmer weather and spring activities that may start to pull people away (graduations, exams, sports, three day weekends…). In the Southern Hemisphere days are shortening… Read More
