This week was Red Ribbon Week in Irving. You remember. It’s when kids wear attire corresponding to themes promoting anti-drug messages: Jersey Day; everyone team up against drugs, and some others I can’t recall. Has anyone ever offered new ideas for these days? So, with all the no-drug talk on my mind, earlier this week I got that Martika song stuck in my head. You remember Toy Soldiers? It’s not a crazy-jingle-I-wish-I-could-forget song. I like it;...
I had to pass this on. It hurts. Our world hurts.
I hadn't wanted to comment on the whole balloon boy ordeal--everyone knows how disturbing it is. But it sure provided a vivid illustration for us. Please pass this on. This is more real than any played out email forward.
Let's get real church!
+simplykurt
Stay blessed...j...
I was trying to figure out if there were any patterns to my blogging—specifically looking at when I blog the most. As a quick reference point I looked at the number of posts each month for the last three years. I thought maybe there would be one or two months that consistently had the most. Wrong. By the way, all I did was look at the numbers included in the “Older Posts” heading.
In 2007, May had the highest total with June close behind. The following...
Growing up, I always wondered why I had to have such a boring name. My last name also has a story behind it. I always wanted to have my last name changed. When I began my candidacy process I learned about this John Fletcher (good article). It, first learning about him, served as a sort of confirmation for me in a number of ways. Stay blessed...john
Click Here to check your own n...
Two exciting sermons from this past Sunday to share with you. Of course, neither of them are from me. Our church observed Laity Sunday by having our Lay Speaker lead our service (it's been a while since I've sat in a pew).
He did a great job and offered, what I think, is a very important challenge. He hit it right on! The second sermon was just as challenging, I think. No, I'm not biased...well, okay I am, but that does not take away from the truth....
It is no secret my favorite hymn is the Spirit Song. The first time I heard it Rev Kay Alewine (you can listen to her podcasts here) sang it as part of her sermon one Sunday morning (heart strangely warmed). If you've never heard it, here are the lyrics:
O let the Son of God enfold You
With His Spirit and His love
Let Him fill your heart and satisfy your soul
O let Him have those things that hold You
And His Spirit like a dove
Will descend upon...
Laughs (as always: if you know where these originate from let me know)
What a ride that would have been!
Always together
Head-phones
Yess!
and Stuff
Wi-Fi signals used to see through walls
Bobby McFerrin Psalm 23
top-25-places-to-watch-free-movi...
Sorry for this being a couple of days late. I can feel your worlds falling apart since you were unable to hear this Sunday's past sermon (wink, wink, cough).
I used a clip of Whitney Houston's arrangement of "I Love the Lord" Sunday morning as a prelude. As I was looking for music to use for the service I came across several artists' crack at the hymn. Good stuff. Anyways, here's the sermon entitled Where on Earth is God (thoughts):
And, here...
Peter Berger's The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion is a sociological consideration of the function of religion in the human experience. Religion’s societal utility can be viewed empirically. When the observer is introduced to society’s need to maintain reality, a comparison can be made between the processes involved in that maintenance and the employment religion offers those processes. Berger describes people as “world builders.”...
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 11, 2009
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
TFWS: The Faith We Sing
Choral Call to Worship Through It All UMH #507
Prelude I Love the Lord
Call to Worship
Leader: God has called all God’s people to lives of hope and service.
People: We want to serve God, but sometimes life gets to be too difficult for us.
Leader: Place your trust in God’s power and love.
People: God understands our needs, our sorrows, and...
Wow, this thought seems like so long ago. But here we are reading the words to my 400th post. Some of you will recall The Blog That Ties used to be part of Bandera’s website; it began sometime in 2005. I went back to find the very first post—no luck. It probably read something like this: Hi, this is my first post. I don’t know what I’m doing, but all the other cool pastors are doing this. No, I wouldn’t follow them off the cliff—maybe—but this looks like...
Spend time around any three-year-old and you’ll quickly become acquainted with their favorite phrase: Why? You’ll also find “Because I said so” doesn’t enjoy the same privilege it once did. Part of growing up…okay, part of maturing….no, that sounds worse….part of not being able to take back years of life is learning. When we ask, we learn. Most three-year-olds grow up and don’t ask “Why” as much. Once you finish your hallelujahs I’ll ask you to consider...
The following paragraphs are the parts of that one post I cut out because they were was too rantful. I was venturing towards a somewhat different topic—though not entirely unrelated. As I kept writing there was an assumption that seemed to creep through the words: when compared to non-manuscript sermons, sermons given by manuscript are by default the obvious boring of the two. That is to say those without notes are the more striking, innovative sermons....
This is a question for those of you who maintain your own site. However, those of you who do not can still add valuable information.What is a decent, promising, one could hope for, if you don't have this you have nothing bounce rate for a typical personal blog?As you're looking at this site what might be your suggestions to boost that percentage? I'd appreciate your input.Basically, the bounce rate describes your site's ability to keep a reader on the site...
Here is a question I saw on the Bandera Bulletin website. I haven't taken much time to articulate an answer. But it might be an interesting question. What do you think: Should non-profits be exempt from city utilities?Oh, and you're only allowed to answer 'yes' or 'no.' Stay blessed...j...
I’m working on our church newsletter. We recently (couple of months ago) updated the publication. It has a new name and format. Now I’m looking to add two other pages. That may sound like a lot, but I figure if I pinpoint what type of information to add each month it will be easy to search for that material. For example, adding news from around the UMC sounds pretty easy (especially since UMCOM has a news in the pews publication). Here is our newsletter...
