Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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Roosevelt
There is a story told about President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Apparently, sometime after being president for a very long time, he got tired of smiling that trade-mark Roosevelt smile and saying the trade-mark Roosevelt things at all those White House receptions. So, one evening he decided to find out whether…
All the Light We Cannot See
All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr
A dazzling book, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, published by Scribner in 2014, concerns a subject that would not necessarily bring the word “dazzling” to mind — war. World War II and the Holocaust are the underlayment of the novel, and upon this is shaped the story of the parallel lives of two young people — a blind French girl and a orphaned German boy. These two youngsters, who grow up during World War II and are molded by the extraordinary pressures of the time in which they live, also learn about and engage in an emerging technology of the time: radio. The title, All the Light We Cannot See, was inspired by the electromagnetic spectrum which, among other things, includes radio waves and visible light waves. Both sound and sight are dominant themes throughout the book. read more…
Too much charity?
A preacher delivering a sermon on the text “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose his own soul?” argued that people can lose their souls by being TOO charitable. When some gasped at his statement, he continued: “Many people attend church, hear the…
The Delicate Thread
In the past few weeks, two musical groups have crossed my path. From different sides of the world, in two different languages, I have not been able to get them out of my mind.
On the surface, they could not be more different: Samoan traditional folk songs and American Barbershop arrangements. Young men in suits vs. middle aged men in costumes.
Dig a little deeper, though, and similarities appear: choral singing; obvious dedication and persistent attention to their craft; and groups of men doing something other than sports in public! read more…
Einstein for President
In 1952, 3 years before his death, Israel offered Albert Einstein the Presidency. In Einstein’s note declining the invitation, he wrote: “All my life I have dealt with objective matters, hence I lack both the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people and to exercise official functions”…
What is your language?
“English-speaking tourists abroad are inclined to believe that if only they speak English loudly and distinctly and slowly enough, the natives will know what’s being said even though they don’t understand a single word of the language. Preachers often make the same mistake. They believe that if only they speak…
Do you need a Pharisectomy?
Do you need a Pharisectomy? Story Lectionary 30 August 2015 Exodus 7-11: The Egyptians Do Not Heed Moses’ and Aaron’s Miracles 1 Samuel 16-19: The Story of David, Goliath, and Saul’s Vendetta 2 Kings 1: The Story of Ahaziah’s Bid to Baalzebub in Samaria Psalm 1: Do not follow the…
Pastor’s Prayer for 8-30-15
“Lord Teach Us to Pray: Responsive Reading,” by Chuck Fromm and Jeremy Armstrong, as found in Chuck Fromm, editorial, “Lord Teach Us To Pray,” Worship Leader Magazine (September-October 2015).
Leader:
So we might awaken to the wonder of your presence
So we might feel gratitude for your gift of life today
So we might discover your kingdom as revealed in our sisters and brothers
So we might find safety beneath the shelter of your wings
All:
So we might declare your glory as we gather together:
Lord, teach us to pray
Leader:
So we might forgive those who have wronged us
So we might lead free from pretense and hypocrisy
So we might trust your perfect plans and not replace them with our own
So we might love you with our whole hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves
All:
So we might declare your glory as we gather together:
Lord, teach us to pray
Leader:
So diverse hearts might harmonize as many voices become one
So our bodies might praise you in bowed heads and raised hands
So a spirit of criticism is replaced with an offering of sacrifice
So we consider others more important than ourselves
All:
So we might declare your glory as we gather together:
Lord, teach us to pray
Leader:
So the truth of your Word resonates in what we say and sing
So we might prepare a way through the wilderness of chaos and pain
So our eyes are alert and our souls awake to your movement in our midst
So our good work is fruitful in the reign of your kingdom
All:
So we might declare your glory as we gather together:
Lord, teach us to pray
Leader:
So our voices bring a pleasing sound to your ear
So the notes of our instruments rise sweetly to your throne
So our singing is a light in the darkness, drawing nations to your grace
So our songs vibrate with the voice of the Lamb who was slain
All:
So we might declare your glory as we gather together:
Lord, teach us to pray
Leader:
So the lonely and hopeless find comfort in your abundant presence
So those in war and famine find the everlasting peace of your Spirit
So we are not indifferent to the suffering of the world around us
So our songs help to make us look more like you
All:
So we might declare your glory as we gather together:
Lord, teach us to pray
Let Your Life Speak
Let Your Life Speak
Listening for the Voice of Vocation
by Parker J. Palmer
Perhaps one of the most universal questions asked of people from early childhood on is, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The question changes somewhat as the child ages, and the answers change too. Children who wanted to be cowboys and mermaids begin, over time, to think more realistically, and family members, friends, and educators all join in the discussion, commenting on the child’s natural abilities and special interests. Suggestions for schools, courses of study, and careers abound. It is an exciting topic, and a confusing one. Very few young people know exactly what they are meant to be as adults, and for most of us, the journey toward finding the answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is more complicated than we first imagined. read more…
Stumbling
In 1959, two albums were released that shook the jazz world: Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out, and Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. They tracked together through the charts, and both were certified Platinum in 1997. Davis’ has gone on to reach multi-platinum, but Brubeck’s music has probably reached more people.
The premise of the album Time Out was to explore music in different time signatures. Brubeck had been to Eastern Europe and experienced different tonalities, textures and unusual timing of their ethnic and popular music. He believed that jazz music had “become too tame” and that it was time for jazz to return to its “role of exploring more adventurous rhythms.” read more…