Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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Jesus –A New Kind of High Priest
Jesus –A New Kind of High Priest Lectionary 18 October 2015 21st Sunday After Pentecost Laity Sunday Job 38:1-7, 34-41 Psalm 104:1-9,24,35c Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 10:35-45 Text to Life We all “dress for success.” But that does not mean we all have the same wardrobe. There is, of course, the…
Pastor’s Prayer for Oct 18, 2015
Nerves –Preaching Tip for October 18, 2015
Nerves come from fear of not living up to an expectation. If you ever played an instrument in a concert or for a recital, or if you had to sing a solo, or if you had to do anything on stage, “nerves” are a frequent hazard. But…. preaching is not a performance!…
Peace Like a River
Peace Like a River
by
Leif Enger
As part of the preparation for writing this review of Peace Like A River, the bestselling novel by Leif Enger published by Grove Press, I checked the information page in the front and was shocked to see a publication date of 2001. I’m not sure if my surprise was directed toward the age of the book, the speed with which the years fly by, or my uncertain memory — probably all three. One thing that I do know for certain about this book is Peace Like A River has become a classic tale to me, and I draw on its wisdom, humor and life-lessons frequently. read more…
Can You Translate?
Last week we listened to music without words that told a story. In particular, we learned about a piece of music written to tell the story of climate change exclusively through climate data assigned to particular notes. Today I have a link to a graphic designer who tells the story of music on the album covers and liner notes of contemporary music CDs.
Denise Burt didn’t know anything about contemporary classical music when she started designing album covers. But, she was a good listener, and this skill helped her translate aural images into visual ones. The music itself spoke of metaphors and possibilities and pictures that she was able to decipher and transform into language that reflected the music and drew people into these possibilities as well. read more…
And What is This?
In his legendary classic “The Confessions,” Augustine looks around at all that God has created and asks this question: “And what is this? I asked the earth; and it answered, ‘I am not He’; and whatsoever are therein made the same confession. I asked the sea and the deeps, and…
The Simplicity of a Child
“The simplicity of a child’s ways and notions, his ready belief of everything, his artless love, his frank confidence, his confession of helplessness, his ignorance of evil, his inability to conceal his thoughts, his contentment, his prompt forgetfulness of trouble . . and, above all, his reverential spirit, looking at…
Soul Food
God’s Banquet of Abundance Story Lectionary 11 October 2015 God’s Feeding of Manna and Quail in the Wilderness through Moses (Exodus 16) God’s Promise of Abundance and the Call for Faithfulness (Deuteronomy 8) Elisha’s Feeding of the Multitude of People with Bread from First Fruits (2 Kings 2:42-44) The Story…
The Jesus Stance in Every Circumstance
The Jesus Stance in Every Circumstance Lectionary 11 October 2015 20th Sunday After Pentecost Job 23:1`-9, 16-17 Psalm 2:1-15 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 10:17-31 Text to Life Ancient China is renowned for the development of amazing artistic stitchery. Embroidery, the art of stitching fine designs into fabric, was raised to a…
An Experiment in Translation
Can music tell a story?
Well, of course it can, as generations of pop music crooners have demonstrated. Telling a good love story with a musical sound track is a wonderful thing. Johnny Cash, Billy Joel, and Sarah Bareilles are three of my favourite musical story-tellers.
But can music without words tell a story? read more…