Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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24/6
“24/6”
by Matthew Sleeth, M.D.
–Review by Judge Jesse Caldwell
When I bought Matthew Sleeth’s book “24/6”, I am not sure what angle I thought he would employ as he argued his case for us to more faithfully observe the Sabbath day of the week. But I never dreamed this medical doctor would use his experiences as an emergency room physician to introduce and illustrate Biblical truths relating to the Sabbath. He tells these ER and other stories in a masterful and captivating way that beautifully spotlights his theme that we must recover and live out the Biblical mandate for keeping the Sabbath holy. We need to learn how to live a 24/6 week rather than a 24/7 one. read more…
Big Spender
Big Spender Story Lectionary 26 August 2018 The Story of the Extravagance of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) The Lord Will Show His Glory to the Pursuing Egyptians (Exodus 14) Guidelines for Clean and Unclean Foods (Leviticus 11) The Extravagance of Solomon (1 Kings 10:14-29 and 11:1-6) Saul is Tormented by an…
TNT
TNT Lectionary 26 August 2018 14th Sunday After Pentecost 1 Kings 8: (1,6,10-11), 22-30, 41-43 Psalm 84 Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-69 Text to Life One of the perks of going “back to school” is looking forward to getting some new additions to your wardrobe. It’s fun to get new sneakers,…
Know Your Culture –Preaching Tip for 26 August 2018
What is happening in your culture? Try to use metaphors that help people relate scripture to what is going on in their lives and their world. If the metaphor is unrelatable, they will not receive the full impact of that scripture.
Pastor’s Prayer for 26 August 2018
Forgive them all, O Lord:
our sins of omission and our sins of commission;
the sins of our youth and the sins of our riper years;
the sins of our souls and the sins of our bodies;
our secret and our more open sins;
our sins of ignorance and surprise,
…..and our more deliberate and presumptuous sins;
the sins we have done to please others;
the sins we know and remember,
…..and the sins we have forgotten;
the sins we have striven to hide from others
….and the sins by which we have made others offend;
forgive them, O Lord, forgive them all for his sake,who died for our sins and rose for our justification,.and now stands at thy right hand to make intercession for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.
–John Wesley
Come Sunday
Come Sunday, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Condola Rashad, Jason Segel, and Martin Sheen
Rated TV-14; available on Netflix
Review by Ashley Davis
Come Sunday recounts the true story of evangelist Carlton Pearson, an Oral-Roberts-trained preacher turned Unitarian minister, condemned by many as a heretic. This movie is well worth watching for any and every church leader.
Pearson is well known for the collapse of his Tulsa, OK megachurch in the late 1990s as he rethought his beliefs about hell and began to preach universal reconciliation.
Pearson’s relationships take the center stage throughout the story: his relationship with his wife, his children and other family, his followers, his mentors, and eventually Jesus. I found myself relating to him in unexpected ways. I’ve never had half of the congregation walk out on my sermon before, but I can relate to that level of rejection in ministry, and I suspect many of you can as well. read more…
Reframing the Soul
Reframing the Soul: How Words Transform Our Faith
Gregory Spencer
Leafwood Publishers, 2018
–Review by Landrum P. Leavell III, ThD.
As I look back each year at the list of books I consume, there are usually several volumes dealing with the soul and the interior life of a Christ-follower. I need them. I am well-served by giving attention to this most important aspect of my life. So when a book’s title has “soul” and “words” in it, I’m drawn to it. But to be honest, I was introduced to Spencer’s work in Jonathan Merritt’s upcoming book, Learning to Speak God From Scratch, which will likely be a future review.
From the back cover, “Spencer shares practical ways to choose life-giving words and shape what he calls the four essentials of the soul: remembering the past with gratitude, anticipating the future with hope, dwelling within ourselves in peace, engaging with others in love.” Spencer has taught communication studies at Westmont College for thirty years. He shines light on how all of us frame our experiences, while leading us to see the need to reframe them. Obviously, we do this through our words. We don’t always realize “how these frames affect our attitudes, our relationships, and our faith. Yet Jesus call us to reframe our lives in terms of grace instead of law, light instead of darkness, love instead of retaliation.” read more…
Amen, and Amen
Amen, and Amen Lectionary 19 August 2018 13th Sunday After Pentecost 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 Psalm 111 Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58 Text to Life There was a time, not so long ago, when a handshake really did “seal the deal.” If witnessed by others, a handshake became a legally binding…
The Healing Tree
The Healing Tree Story Lectionary 19 August 2018 The Purpose of the Seed (Genesis 1) The Story of Cain’s Offering (Bad Ground/A Jealous Heart, Genesis 4) Psalm 1: The Righteous is a Fruit-Bearing Tree by Water Psalm 37: The Evil Like Plants Will Die Away Psalm 67: A Joyous Psalm…
Ask Questions
Ask questions of your metaphors. It is not enough to recognize them within the story. Many times, we read over them, because traditional ways of understanding the story have been deeply ingrained in our minds. Asking questions of the metaphors opens up the text to greater and deeper meaning. You…