Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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Momma’s Boy
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Lost in the Wonder of God / Praise the Mount
Lost in the Wonder of God Story Lectionary Psalm 23 God will be with you even through the valleys Psalm 121 God will be with you and keep you always Psalm 125 The Lord Abides with you forever like the mountains Daniel’s Night Vision (Daniel 7:14) God’s Authority Ezekiel 28…
God Alone Suffices
“Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing frighten you.
All things pass away; God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Those who have God find they lack nothing;
God alone suffices.”
Teresa of Avila (1515-82)
That Family Tree
That Family Tree Lectionary: The Sixth Sunday of Easter Mother’s Day Acts 10:44-48 Psalm 98 1 John 5:1-6 John 15:9-17 Sermon: That Family Tree 1 John 5:1-6 Nothing changes your life more than becoming a parent. Whether you are a birth Mom or Dad, an adoptive Mom or…
Articulating Christ in You
As an introduction to sound theology, we are working our way through Victor Wooten’s 10 principles of music. If you missed the first element “groove,” you can find it here. There were two entries on “notes,” you can find them here and here. The third element of music is “articulation.”
Articulation is a short-hand that musicians use to describe the duration and shape of a note. It is as unique and individual as your eye color or facial expressions; it is dependent on the shape of your embouchure and the weight of your breath. The language that describes different kinds of articulation is precise, but its implementation is particular. read more…
Tattoos on the Heart
This is a Mindful Monday book review. Once a month or so, this column will be about a book that is not a recent publication, but still comes to mind frequently, as good books will.
Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
by Gregory Boyle
Published in 2011, Tattoos on the Heart by Greg Boyle is hard to forget. I was by turns mesmerized, horrified, and enthralled as I read. Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest, is the pastor of Dolores Mission, http://www.dolores-mission.org/, a Catholic church located in gang-land central Los Angeles. The book is a collection of stories primarily about young people who have come to Boyle and Homeboy Industries http://www.homeboyindustries.org/ to find a way to leave gang life. The stories in themselves are jaw droppers, but Boyle doesn’t divulge them for their shock value alone. He loves the people, the “homies” that he lives among, and he helps us to see past the raw, bloody landscape of their daily lives to the value and beauty of their individuality. read more…
Be yourself — 5/10/15
One of the most important tips for preaching is to be authentic –to God, to yourself, and to others. When you preach, be yourself. One of the most misunderstood words of the scriptures is to stand “in fear” of the Lord. To “fear” the Lord in the Hebrew sense did…
You know you’ve become your mother when…
It’s fun to Google “You know you’ve become your mother when …” Here’s one from McCalls’ magazine in November 1994– 1) You reach across the passenger seat whenever you stop short. 2) You insist your child wear a sweater when you’re cold. 3) You stand up to take pictures at…
Grace Notes
“We think of grace arriving like an ambulance, a just-in-time delivery, an invisible divine cavalry cresting a hill of troubles, a bolt of jazz from the glittering horn of the creator, but maybe it lives in us and is activated by illness of the spirit. Maybe we’re loaded with grace. …
Len’s Bible Credo
Len’s Bible Credo: Some people get downright silly about the Bible. I’m one of them. I believe this book, from “in the beginning” to the maps, from Genesis to Genuine Leather, is the greatest story ever told. I believe the Bible is the direct depository of divine revelation with the…