Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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Keep On Walking
Keep On Walking Lectionary 14 August 2016 13th Sunday After Pentecost Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56 Text to Life Sometimes things go from good to better. Sometimes things go from bad to worse. Most times things just . . . keep . . . going .…
Techies and Tweets
Technology
“In the last days, knowledge shall increase.” And AI will analyze it.
Watson, IBM’s artificial intelligence (AI) system, diagnosed a woman’s rare form of Leukemia when doctors were stumped. Thus allowing a treatment that saved her life. Watson looked at the woman’s genetic information and compared it to 20 million clinical oncology studies. After doing so, it determined the patient had an exceedingly rare form of leukemia. It made the diagnoses in 10 minutes. read more…
Preach passionately!
When you preach, are you excited about the gift of life Jesus has given you? Has given the people listening to you? Are you so excited that it’s evident in your voice, in your manner, in the way you tell the story of Jesus in your sermon? Preach passionately, because…
Pastor’s Prayer –for 14 August 2016
Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and
healthful wound of Thy love, and with true, calm and most holy apostolic
charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with entire love and
longing for Thee, may yearn for Thee and for thy courts, may long to be
dissolved and to be with Thee.
Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the Bread of Angels, the
refreshment of holy souls, our daily and super substantial bread, having
all sweetness and savor and every delightful taste.
May my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, Whom the angels
desire to look upon, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness
of Thy savor; may it ever thirst for Thee, the fountain of life, the
fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the
torrent of pleasure, the fullness of the house of God;
may it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, come up to
Thee, meditate on Thee, speak of Thee, and do all for the praise and
glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight,
with ease and affection, with perseverance to the end; and be Thou alone
ever my hope, my entire confidence, my riches, my delight, my pleasure,
my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my food, my
refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession,
my treasure; in Whom may my mind and my heart be ever fixed and firm and
rooted immovably. Amen.
–Prayer of St. Bonaventura
The Novels of Miss Read
The Novels of Miss Read
by Dora Saint
A friend of mine has a favorite book series, The #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, which, she assures me, significantly lowers her blood pressure when she reads them. When I want to flee the push-and-shove of what Os Guinness calls “advanced modernity,” I seek out a series of novels about an unmarried schoolmistress who heads a school located in the imaginary village of Fairacre, England. The schoolmistress’s name is Miss Read, and she is the narrator/writer of the Fairacre series. The world Miss Read creates in her books can, in a single page, turn my thoughts away from today’s fast-paced digital dramas and usher in quieter, slower times in the English countryside of the recent past. read more…
Summer Sounds
As we enjoy (or endure!) the hot and sticky days of mid-summer, I have been thinking about transformation – particularly the transformation of my favorite plants and bushes. The glorious bursting and blossoming of spring is finished, and the summer plants seem much less interesting by comparison. Now, granted there are some stunning displays, in particular, the expansive fields of sunflowers. But the early roses have either turned to rosehips or have a fresh bloom camouflaged by dead heads. The hydrangeas are drying and turning color, but they now fade into the foliage instead of standing-out with neon flash. Some of the beautiful lilies have turned to seed heads, and the most prolific bloomers are grasses … not exactly show-stoppers!
The transformation of our gardens from lush to dry, and from rainbow-hued to monochromatic, signals a shift in the cycle. The seasons are changing. read more…
Lord of the Harvest
Lord of the Harvest Story Lectionary 7 August 2016 The Story of God’s Gift of the Torah on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19 and 34) The Lord’s Command to Celebrate the Feast of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16 and Exodus 23:14-19 and Leviticus 23) Leave Some Grain in the Field for Foreigners and…
Pollyanna and Cassandra Voices vs Voices of Faith
Pollyanna and Cassandra Voices vs Voices of Faith Lectionary 7 August 2016 12th Sunday After Pentecost Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23 Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Luke 12:32-40 Text to Life Both political conventions have concluded. Can I get an “Amen?” Two candidates have been chosen, and the general election is…
Summer Choir Tours
In the same vein as last week’s post, this week highlights talented and adventurous young vocal musicians. Baylor University’s School of Music recently held their annual conference – Alleluia – for youth choir directors.
Their featured guests were the National Honor Choir of a network of youth choirs known as YouthCUE. These high school musicians were recommended by their choir directors to participate in a week-long program of training, concerts and touring. The 88 choristers seem to have had a remarkable time together (you can see some of their tour videos on YouTube), and their performance at Alleluia, brought the audience to its feet. YouthCUE’s mission is to instill in their musicians a love of scripture and of choral music, and the performance reflects this goal. read more…
The Hebrew Scriptures are Your Clues –preaching tip for 7 August 2016
The Hebrew scriptures are your clues to understanding the words, actions, and mission of Jesus. Everything Jesus says is built upon a Hebrew testament story from the Torah, the prophets, or the psalms. To better understand Jesus’ stories, always find its root in the Hebrew scriptures. In doing so, you’ll…