Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
Here, you can comment on any post to participate in the discussion.
Pastor’s Prayer for 5 August 2018
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
–Attributed to Mother Theresa (scrawled on her wall in Calcutta)
Mastery
Mastery by Robert Greene
ISBN: 9780670024964 HC
ISBN: 9780143124177 PBK
–Review by Doug Balzer
Recently, in my search for books, I came across Robert Greene and his writings. I wanted to share this particular book with you, why, it resonated with me. It describes the transformational process that took place in my life and is still active within me. Now, why is this important? Sometimes we need to be reminded about where we came from to get to where we are now, and we are in the process of going. Also, in the midst of the journey to assist others as much as possible. We can share our life’s lessons with others to strengthen them in the course of the way. read more…
House of Prayer
House of Prayer Story Lectionary 29 July 2018 Jacob’s Prayer (Genesis 32:9-12) Our Father and Savior (Isaiah 63:11-19 and 64) Hezekiah’s Prayer (2 Kings 19:15-19) Hannah’s Prayer (1 Samuel 2:1-10) Nehemiah’s Prayer (Nehemiah 1) The Kaddish Psalm 51: David’s Prayer Psalm 103: Praise the Lord My Soul Who is Like…
Bless This Mess
Bless This Mess Lectionary 29 July 2018 10th Sunday After Pentecost 2 Samuel 11:1-15 Psalm 14 Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21 Text to Life Are you a “clean desk” person or a “messy desk” person? Clean desk people have carefully organized racks of files, stacks of notes, and they strictly adhere…
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Rated PG-13
–Review by Ashley Linne
We’ve forgotten that in this fractured society, we really are all each other’s neighbor. Today’s world is full of narcissism at both individual and organizational levels. Kindness and empathy are confused with weakness or returned with violence. One can hardly keep up with all the heartbreaking and terrifying news rippling across the globe.
This documentary is an exquisite invitation to us all to remember we are neighbors—we are human. We all need love. We need each other.
Mister Rogers understood the value of society’s most vulnerable members. He had the ability to see the heart of a person and to reflect total acceptance in a way that recognized the person’s worth and ability to make good choices. Unconditional love was his goal.
The film presents a very honest look at Fred’s life, through the eyes of his family and coworkers. He made mistakes like anyone else, but his integrity and dedication to God and children was always clear.
He leveraged new technology for his message while remaining remarkably simple in his production. This combination seems to have made him irresistible to children and adults alike. The meaning of the message wasn’t lost in the pomp and flash of the presentation.
Unlike so many others, Fred Rogers didn’t ever have an inflated ego. He was exactly the same whether on screen or off. And he frequently wondered if what he was doing made a difference in healing the larger problems of society.
Fred Rogers exemplified both bravery and gentleness. He never shied away from the difficult and painful topics of the day; in fact, he insisted on addressing them. But he did it in ways that were kind and disarming—simple enough for children and adults alike. He knew how to cut to the heart of a matter but to do it so warmly that it helped take the sting of it out.
I hope you have the opportunity to see this documentary, and take away a sense of worth, bravery, and encouragement for neighboring.
Metaphors Don’t Have to Be Visual –Preaching tip for 29 July 2018
One of my favorite Jewish metaphors for prayer is the burning incense or burning candle, which sweet smoke rises to heaven and disperses into the air to perfume all in its path. Some metaphors can be powerful without being spoken or without being only visual. Scents, sounds, touch …. What…
Pastor’s Prayer for 29 July 2018
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
–Paul (Prayer for the Ephesian Church)
Musical Terroir –France
France has won the world cup, for only the second time in the tournament’s history. Thankfully, France’s classical composers have had many more successes on the world stage. read more…
The Gospel Comes with a House Key
The Gospel Comes With a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World
By Rosaria Butterfield
–Review by Landrum P. Leavell III, ThD.
Oh my, where to start. This was one of the most layered books I’ve read in a long time. If you don’t know Rosaria Butterfield’s story, do some homework. She wrote The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith chronicling her story. She has also written Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ. She is a pastor’s wife and mother and a radical “hospitalitarian” (I just made that up).
There have been lots of good books coming out about this subject in the last few years: From Tablet to Table, The Art of Neighboring, and The Simplest Way to Change the World. This book plumbs another level. Many authors refer to and/or include their families from time to time in their books. Butterfield literally moves you into her life, home, family, church, and neighborhood. In the preface she writes, “If Mary Magdalene had written a book about hospitality for this post-Christian world, it would read like this one.” She doesn’t take you on a guilt trip or prescribe what you should do, but she invites you to think about how you might “let God use your home, apartment, dorm room, front yard, community gymnasium, or garden for the purpose of making strangers into neighbors and neighbors into family. Because that is the point—building the church and living like a family, the family of God.” (14) read more…
The Golden Hour
The Golden Hour Story Lectionary 22 July 2018 The Light Comes into Being (Genesis 1) The Lord Makes a Covenant with Abram as a Smoking Firepot (Genesis 15) The Lord Meets Moses as a Fiery Furnace on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19) The Lord Burns Up Elijah’s Sacrifice Like an Oven…