Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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Ordinary Grace
Ordinary Grace
by
William Kent Krueger
Ordinary grace – what does that mean? Do experiences of grace range from less-than-ordinary through extra-ordinary degrees? For author William Kent Krueger, Ordinary Grace is a novel, a captivating chronicle that includes a coming of age story, a murder mystery, and a stunning definition of ordinary grace. read more…
Date With a Frog
Some days, it’s “Good morning, God.” Some days, it’s “Good God, it’s morning.” A frog telephoned a psychic hotline and is told, “You are going to meet a beautiful young girl who will want to know everything about you.” “Great,” said the frog. “Will I meet her at a party?”…
Break
Some things are so important you can’t allow yourself to be detoured or derailed . . . An English parish priest was walking down a country lane when he saw a young farmer struggling to load hay back onto a cart after it had fallen off. “You look hot, my…
Do you like dolls?
“Do you like dolls?” a little girl asked a friend of her mother’s who had come for dinner. “Yes, very much,” was the reply. “Then I’ll show you mine,” the little girl offered. One by one she carried them into the living room and sat them on the couch. Finally,…
Entanglement
Entanglement Lectionary Isaiah 25:6-9 Psalm 24 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44 Text to Life We are all entangled. Whether we know it or not, our lives are entangled. Let me show you how. This year the other-worldly celebration of “Allhallowtide” fell just right on the this-world weekly calendar. Allhallowtide is the…
Scandal
Scandal Story Lectionary 1 November 2015 All Saints Day Deuteronomy: The Raising Up of a New Prophet Like Moses (18:15-22) Psalm 2: The Son of God Psalm 22: Song of Deliverance from Persecution and God’s Victory Psalm 110: The Priest of Melchizedek God Knows the Name of the Son (Proverbs…
Pastor’s Prayer for All Saints Day –Nov 1, 2015
Opening Prayer for All Saints Day
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,today we rejoice in the holy men and womenof every time and place.May their prayers bring usyour forgiveness and love.
…the work of your hands is manifest in your saints,
the beauty of your truth is reflected in their faith.
May we who aspire to have part in their joy
be filled with the Holy Spirit that blessed their lives,
so that having shared their faith on earth
we may also know their peace in your kingdom.
–Taken from the Catholic Sacramentary
Use a Mic –Preaching Tip for November 1, 2015
There’s nothing sadder than a great preacher whom no one can hear. Wherever you are preaching, you’ll always be helped to have a mic. Even if you have a booming voice, with a mic, you can use more emotion, more inflection in your voice, you can even drop to a…
Seven Men and the Secret of Their Greatness
Seven Men and the Secret of Their Greatness
by Eric Metaxas
Last week The Open Table featured a review of Seven Women and the Secret of Their Greatness. Because that book was so enjoyable and memorable, this week’s review is of the first book that Eric Metaxas wrote featuring short biographies of exemplary people who lived out their convictions, called Seven Men and the Secret of Their Greatness. As in Seven Women, Metaxas does not want the reader to think that “the list of seven persons is in any way definitive…I simply chose seven people whose stories I found most compelling and inspiring.” read more…
Jesus Prays
And then Jesus began to pray:
Jesus: I praise You, Father—Lord of heaven and earth. You have revealed Your truths to the lowly and the ignorant, the children and the crippled, the lame and the mute. You have hidden wisdom from those who pride themselves on being so wise and learned. 26 You did this, simply, because it pleased You. 27 The Father has handed over everything to My care. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son—and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal the Father. 28 Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Put My yoke upon your shoulders—it might appear heavy at first, but it is perfectly fitted to your curves. Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. When you are yoked to Me, your weary souls will find rest. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:25-28 (The VOICE Bible) read more…