I’m super excited that the Olympics start today. Soccer is my favorite sport, so while I’m disappointed the US men’s team didn’t qualify, the women’s team looks to make a gold medal run, and I’ll be cheering them on! In honor of that quest, I thought I’d show you this picture of a Jesus figurineContinue reading “Two things Jesus did not tell us to do (but we do), and one he did tell us to do (but we don’t)”
Tag Archives: worship
Why our worship services are not good enough (and God might even hate them)
Worship services could actually be keeping us from worship. Sound impossible? Peter Rollins, in his book Insurrection, suggests that it’s actually very possible. In the Old Testament, God pointed out to the nation of Israel that their worship was not acceptable to him. They were going through the motions of worship, but they weren’t actuallyContinue reading “Why our worship services are not good enough (and God might even hate them)”
Church Has Left The Building recap
On Sunday May 17, Faith Church left it’s building! It was an incredible morning. My group (below) went to Conestoga Valley Christian Community Services, the local social services organization started by area churches to provide free food and clothing to residents in need. It is an awesome place sharing love in the name of Jesus. Continue reading “Church Has Left The Building recap”
Blog Year in Review – Best of 2014?
I think I’m going to have to “grade on the curve”. You know how a teacher removes the highest and lowest student grades, and then regrades a test best on the remaining results? One post was the most popular for the second year in a row. In fact, this post received more than twice asContinue reading “Blog Year in Review – Best of 2014?”
Angel wings, Candle lighter, Blocks of Wood – Monday Messy Office Report – 12/29/2014
My office is tidy Friday, mysteriously messy on Monday. Here’s what I found today. 1. Angel wings. For real. The kind of angel wings that a child might wear in a Nativity play. Except that this set of angel wings wasn’t worn by a child! At our Christmas Eve service, one of our young menContinue reading “Angel wings, Candle lighter, Blocks of Wood – Monday Messy Office Report – 12/29/2014”
That time I accidentally said “fart” in my State of Faith Church sermon…and some other things as well
As I mentioned last week, this past Sunday I gave my State of the Church address. As you’ll read below I talked about discipleship and simplicity, but also farts. Yeah, you read that title right. Farts. But I didn’t talk about it on purpose. Fast forward to minute 19:00, and listen in from there. RightContinue reading “That time I accidentally said “fart” in my State of Faith Church sermon…and some other things as well”
Experimental Worship? – 1st Corinthians 14:26-40
I have read that early Christian worship was influenced by the order of worship in Jewish synagogues. The picture that Paul gives us in 1st Corinthians 14:26-40 (and in all of chapters 11-14, really) is a very disorderly kind of worship as practiced by the Christians in the city of Corinth. I introduced this conceptContinue reading “Experimental Worship? – 1st Corinthians 14:26-40”
Do we need an order of worship?
Raised in a Conservative Baptist church that practiced a style of worship very much influenced by the frontier free worship tradition, I will never forget two of my first experiences with liturgical style. The first was at a mainline Presbyterian Church in New Jersey where my mother’s sister and her family attended. After quite aContinue reading “Do we need an order of worship?”
Speaking in Tongues is not the point – 1st Corinthians 14:1-25
Last week I mentioned that this past Sunday’s sermon was going to be about speaking in tongues. We have been working our way section by section through the book of 1st Corinthians, and on Sunday we finally made it to chapter 14, which is all about speaking in tongues. I started the sermon off withContinue reading “Speaking in Tongues is not the point – 1st Corinthians 14:1-25”
Ssshhhhhh! It’s Silent Sunday
For the last couple years we’ve taken one Sunday to worship in near total silence. Aren’t we supposed to erupt in praise to our Savior? Don’t the Psalms remind us to celebrate our Lord in song, with instruments, and loudly? Yes and yes! So why would we want silence? 51 out of 52 Sundays weContinue reading “Ssshhhhhh! It’s Silent Sunday”
Engaging Scripture 