Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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Take a Rest… from Social Media
It’s Time to Unfriend and Unfollow on Social Media
Summary: “If you’re the kind of person who continually adds friends and acquaintances and news sites and brands (and so on) to your Twitter and Facebook feeds but never removes anyone, it’s time. Here’s how—and why—to do it.”
Read more at: https://goo.gl/pBVghi
Digitally mined from: www.lifehacker.com
HH read more…
Prayer –Preaching Tips for 22 October 2017
Prayer is often used as a preview to a sermon, or sometimes a closing. But have you thought of using prayer AS the sermon, or in the midst of your sermon…. or in a participatory way. Don’t ignore the power of prayer which can deliver more than you can do…
Pastor’s Prayer for 22 October 2017
O God, we who are bound together in the tender ties of love, pray thee for a day of unclouded love. May no passing irritation rob us of our joy in one another. Forgive us if we have been swift to see the human failings, and slow to feel the preciousness of those who are still the dearest comfort in our life. May there be no sharp words that wound and scar, and no rift that may grow into estrangement. Suffer us not to grieve those whom thou hast sent to us as the sweet ministers of love. May our eyes not be so holden by selfishness that we know thine angels only when they spread their wings to return to thee. Amen.
–Walter Rauschenbusch
Florence Foster Jenkins
Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, rated PG-13
–Review by Ashley Linne
As a vocalist since the age of 9, I am ashamed that I was totally unaware of the story of “Lady Florence!” This entertaining film is based on the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a once very talented, high society musician and heiress, who becomes famous for her terrible singing voice. Meryl Streep is hilarious in this role, and makes this character quite endearing when she would otherwise come across as an intolerable narcissist.
Hugh Grant plays Florence’s husband St. Clair Bayfield. Theirs is a complex relationship as the story unfolds. He has an undeniable, genuine love for her, and yet also seems to lead a bit of a double life—one that everyone is aware of except Florence. He goes to great lengths to groom Florence’s environment and to shield her from those who would mock or scorn her, and early in the film one wonders whether this was to her benefit or detriment. read more…
Who is That Crouching at Your Door?
Who is That Crouching at Your Door? Story Lectionary 15 October 2017 The Story of Cain’s Murder of Abel (Genesis 4) David Kills Bathsheba’s Husband and is Confronted by Nathan (2 Samuel 11 and 12) Joseph’s Brothers Throw Him into a Pit for Dead and Later Regret Their Deed (Genesis…
C Minor
C minor gives me the chills. Real, hair-standing-on-end, spine-tingling chills. The glorious music written in this key plumbs the depths of emotion; the highs and the lows. Beethoven is well-known for his extensive output in this key, including 2 symphonies, 3 piano sonatas, a piano concerto and a handful of string quartets and trios. And, although the 5th symphony – with it’s iconic opening phrase – begins in C minor, it actually ends in C major, a turn toward optimism and joy. The weight and complexity of the C minor movements balanced, at the end of the work, by an extended cadence of C major chords. This week’s playlist does not include Beethoven’s 5th symphony, but it is easy to find if you want to listen. Another work in C minor that you might want to explore (if you’re brave) is Bruckner’s final orchestral work, the 8th Symphony, written in 1892. It is a massive exploration, as are the majority of Bruckner’s orchestral works, of wonderful yet challenging tonalities and rhythms. The ST#132 playlist features selections by Saint-Saens, Mozart, Purcell, Chopin, Mahler, and Bizet. read more…
Where Jesus Prayed
Where Jesus Prayed: Illuminating the Lord’s Prayer In the Holy Land
By Danielle Shroyer
Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2015
Review by Landrum P. Leavell III, ThD.
This book was recommended to me by my friend and fellow bibliophile, David Wahlstedt. He figured I’d like it since I’ve had the opportunity to go to the Holy Land (which many in Israel are now calling “The Promising Land”) over a dozen times. Sixteen of the twenty sites she visited, I have visited numerous times and have given devotions at all of them to tour groups. I easily had an interest in the book, and came to find out that her story heaped a lot more meaning and depth to my own reflections on each waystation of her journey.
Shroyer sojourned with other ministers for two weeks on the roads of the earliest Christians and millions since. Most of us know the feeling of living our lives with “every last corner of my life crammed with words.” She hoped the pilgrimage would afford “time to do less talking and more sensing, less thinking about ideas of God and more searching for the presence of God.” She wanted to keep her mind open, her head clear, and wanted to enjoy God. read more…
Words that Sparkle –Preaching Tip for 15 October 2017
Look for words that jump out at you from the story. Why do they spark your intuition? Look them up in their original language. What is it in the Hebrew? In Greek? Sometimes, there are hidden metaphors lost in translation. When you look at the original word or meaning, you…
Pastor’s Prayer for 15 October 2017
We beseech You, Master, to be our helper and protector.Save the afflicted among us; have mercy on the lowly;Raise up the fallen; appear to the needy; heal the ungodly;Restore the wanderers of Your people;Feed the hungry; ransom our prisoners; Raise up the sick; comfort the faint-hearted.
–St Clement of Rome, 1st century-101 AD
Stone Standard or Gold Standard?
Stone Standard or Gold Standard? Lectionary 15 October 2017 19th Sunday After Pentecost Exodus 32:1-14 Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23 Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 22:1-14 Text to Life What a season of violence, vengeance, and vortexes! This trifecta has come both from the state of nature and from the hands of humans. First…