Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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Metaphors that connect –Preaching Tip for 17 June 2018
Connecting metaphors is sort of like weaving on a loom. You need to make sure to connect your source strand with the new peg in order to create an image that speaks to people in their own context. For example, we can’t read the story of the “Good Samaritan” without…
Pastor’s Prayer for 17 June 2018
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.
–Augustine
Beautiful
Beautiful Story Lectionary 10 June 2018 The Story of Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness (Genesis 16) The Tribes of Those Who Reached the Promised Land (Numbers 26) God’s Promise from the Wilderness (Deuteronomy 8) Those Who Settled in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 11) A Genealogy from Adam to Abram (1 Chronicles…
The Nocturne
Very few composers are credited with having invented a classical music form, but the one thing that many people have heard about John Field (1782 – 1837) is that he invented the nocturne. It isn’t true, of course: others before him (Haydn for one) had used the term ‘nocturne’ or ‘notturno,’ either for a short, lyrical piece, or for a kind of serenade. But it was Field who cultivated it both as an idea and a genre, and associated it inescapably with the piano. Perhaps more important is the fact that he was the first Celtic voice – certainly the first Irish composer – to make a contribution to European concert music. And his contribution, though not massive in itself, had huge consequences. read more…
All In
ALL IN A SERMON ON PSALM 138 By Guest Writer Jesse Caldwell In the middle ages of his life, a friend of mine from law school met his soul mate and fell madly in love. They talked by phone every day, texted, and sent each other emails and social…
The Hidden Metaphor of the Tongue –Preaching Tip for 10 June 2018
The tongue is a frequent hidden metaphor in scripture indicating an issue known in Judaism as lashon hara, that is, telling evil about another (or gossiping if you will). We might say in our culture, it means, “talking trash” on someone. In the story of Esther, Homan speaks lashon hara against…
Pastor’s Prayer for 10 June 2018
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness
in your abundant compassion
blot out my offense.
Wash away all my guilt;
from my sin cleanse me.
For I know my offense;
my sin is always before me.
Against you alone have I sinned;
I have done such evil in your sight
That you are just in your sentence,
blameless when you condemn.
True, I was born guilty,
a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.
Still, you insist on sincerity of heart;
in my inmost being teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure;
wash me, make me whiter than snow.
Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Turn away your face from my sins;
blot out all my guilt.
A clean heart create for me, God;
renew in me a steadfast spirit.
Do not drive me from your presence,
nor take from me your holy spirit.
Restore my joy in your salvation;
sustain in me a willing spirit.
I will teach the wicked your ways,
that sinners may return to you.
Rescue me from death, God, my saving God,
that my tongue may praise your healing power.
Lord, open my lips;
my mouth will proclaim your praise.
For you do not desire sacrifice;
a burnt offering you would not accept.
My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit;
God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.
–Psalm 51:3-19 (Prayer for Repentance)
The Fisherman’s Tomb
The Fisherman’s Tomb:
The True Story of the Vatican’s Secret Search
by John O’Neill
–Review by Teri Hyrkas
Now that warm weather has arrived, are you looking for a quick read that will transport you to a distant continent? Maybe you’re looking for a modern mystery, full of adventure and danger? Or perhaps you’d prefer a non-fiction tale about a genius archeologist who withstood years of attempts to discredit her work? The Fisherman’s Tomb: The True Story of the Vatican’s Secret Search (Our Sunday Visitor, 2018) by John O’Neill meets all these summer reading demands perfectly.
The Fisherman’s Tomb is the gripping account of the Vatican’s long search for the Apostle Peter’s grave. Author John O’Neill is a New York Times best-selling author and lawyer with many years’ interest in early Christian sites. He writes, “It was only… serendipitous coincidence that made it possible to gather and record…the facts of this extraordinary story. I felt that… this was a story that the world needed to hear.” read more…
Job and the Mind Storm
Job and the Mind Storm Story Lectionary 3 June 2018 God Creates (Genesis 1) The Word of God Appears to Abram (Genesis 15:1; Genesis 12:7; Genesis 18) The Word of the Lord Appears to Elijah (1 Kings 19) The Word of the Lord Calls Samuel (1 Samuel 3) Psalm 33:…
Job and the Mind Storm
Job and the Mind Storm Story Lectionary 3 June 2018 God Creates (Genesis 1) The Word of God Appears to Abram (Genesis 15:1; Genesis 12:7; Genesis 18) The Word of the Lord Appears to Elijah (1 Kings 19) The Word of the Lord Calls Samuel (1 Samuel 3) Psalm 33:…