October 4 - Stress: The Gift of Sabbath

I hope this sermon series has been helpful for you. It's been helpful for me to think about what I've been preaching on. Please remember that this doesn't end stress - we'll be dealing with stress throughout our lives. I do hope, though, that you have some tools to handle the stress that inevitably comes. Don't forget that if you have a stress level that is impacting the quality of life there are people like pastors and counselors who are more than happy to talk and work with you. Now a few notes related to this weeks' sermon:



There's some debate about how prolific silence really is. The article I quoted from relies on research by Gordon Hempton, an "acoustic ecologist." As far as I can tell he's the world's leading expert on the subject.

Silence is good, but too much of a good thing is still too much. Even silence.

 Panic attacks are real. They are physiological reactions, not just something made up in a person's mind. If you know someone who has panic attacks, probably the worst thing to do is pretend that they aren't real. At the same time, the best thing for the person having the panic attack is to get distracted from it. When I had panic attacks, I'd try to take a nap (which is hard when you're panicking!). Just like panic attacks are real, so are panic disorders. If you or someone you know struggle with a panic disorder please see a counselor. I can give you references. They are almost always able to be at least somewhat controlled with counselling and/or medication. Depression is also very common in people with panic disorders - another reason to seek treatment!

For a Jewish reflection on Sabbath see this good source.

Wikipedia of all places mentions Leviticus as a source of the practice of crop rotation.

If you ever find this toy, don't buy it!

September 27 - Stress: Gaining Control

The Legacy Project of Karl Pillemer continues to share helpful insights. Check it out, and maybe also check out Pillemer's book 30 Lessons for Living.

There is a common misunderstanding that slavery in the first century wasn't as terrible as American slavery during and before the Civil War. This is especially spoken by people who want to reconcile the Bible's sometimes neutral view on slavery with the importance of freedom. But the reality is that first century slavery was just as barbaric. This short piece from PBS gives you a quick look.

Embrace the Shake is the name of Phil Hansen's TED talk. The link takes you to the full video of his talk. It's only about 10 minutes long and shows lots of cool artwork.

Locus of Control can be a little tricky to understand. The link is to a lesson on it that you might find helpful.

September 20 - Stress: The Secret of Success

First, a couple things from last week.

1. A couple of you have asked again about a copy of the diagram I used. It was my version of what is found in The Anatomy of Peace. You can read an excerpt from the link on last week's post, or this review. Both have the diagram as it appears in the book.

2. Some have also asked about the prayer that was used at 8:15 and 11:00. The text is below. Sandra's breath prayer idea is similar to these. I practice this form of prayer too.

Prayer of Reconciliation:
Reconciling Christ, bless our efforts to bring about reconciliation.
Give us the strength to persevere without counting the hurts,
and to find within ourselves the capacity to keep on loving.

Give us the grace to be able to stand in the middle of situations,
and to be a conduit for the deep listening
which can lead to healing and forgiveness.

Help us to conduct ourselves with dignity,
giving and expecting respect, moving from prayer to action,
and from action back again into prayer.

Grant that we may be so grounded in your love,
that our security is not threatened if we change our minds,
or begin to see a better way to act.

Bless those who are called to reconcile on a large-scale –
politicians, world leaders, leaders of business,
and those who stand in the midst of bitter conflict.

Reconciling Christ, bless us and bless all who engage
in the sacred work of envisioning new wholeness,
and bringing people and nations together.  Amen.

~ written by Ann Siddall,

And a couple things from this week.

I want you to hear again that I really believe what I'm preaching today. You don't have to give in to what society says is success. And you will be happier when you can achieve the success that you choose to strive for.

A good read for parents considering how to provide a "perfect" childhood for their kids. It may not be good for your kids or for you.

Surprising facts about happiness. If we define success as happiness, you  may be interested in this.

September 13 - Stress: Love Hurts

We're starting a four week series on Stress this weeks. I hope you follow along in worship or online at stpaulslenexa.org/media. You'll see some additional information and tips here throughout the series.

Before you read any further

If you have stress or anxiety of a severity that you have thought about ending your life, please stop now and call 1-800-273-8255. Step out of worship if you need to make the call. You can also always talk with one of the pastors.

Today's stress relief tip from Dr. Amy Jacobsen is diaphragm breathing. It's a little harder to do than what you might first think. Here's a short video to help you practice. Once you get the hang of it, it's easy to do.

We usually read Scripture from the Common English Bible, but today I preferred the translation in the New International Version. If you ever want to compare versions Biblegateway.com is a great resource.

Sermon Notes

I recall reading about several studies in the past that discuss how much of our language is non-verbal. This article shares that information again along with a powerful story from a business perspective.

Bowling Alone is the classic text on the subject of our declining "social capital." It's important to note that it predates so much of what we would now identify as technological deterrents to spending time with others.

The Collusion Cycle comes from the work of The Arbinger Institute. Their book The Anatomy of Peace is fantastic. You can read part of the book that deals with the cycle here, but I encourage you to consider reading the whole book. The Collusion Cycle also reaches back to the work of Jewish philosopher Martin Buber's work I and Thou. The Anatomy of Peace is easier to read because it is told in narrative form, but I and Thou is more comprehensive in the ways that we can treat people.

May 11, 2014

Happy Mothers' Day!

Jeni Anderson, our Pastor of Worship Arts, is preaching today. Enjoy the message and a beautiful day!

May 4, 2014 - First Fruits

Thank you again to all of those who are bringing First Fruits offerings today for the Imagine Campaign. I am truly grateful! But first fruits aren't just about money - they are about choosing to live intentionally for God.

Just a couple links for you today.
A good blog post on what the Bible teaches about tithing.
A list of everything Jesus said about financial giving.

Remember I never (or almost never) endorse blogs I link to as a whole. I haven't read everything they've written. These particular pages are helpful to read, though.

April 13 - Palm Sunday - Give Up on People

For this week one link only that will send you to more information than you probably care for about Palm Sunday.

April 6 2014 - Give up on Finding All the Answers

There are a handful of different scientific "solutions" to the 10 plagues. Here's one of them.

You can help all of us out by using fewer antibiotics. Even the commonplace antibacterial soap may be a problem.

Maybe you can make more sense than I can out of gravitational waves.

At 8:15 worship I said "Don't get me wrong - I don't want to go back to using leeches." Turns out I was committing my own chronological snobbery. Leeches are being used again in medicine.

Troy really exists

So did King David

March 30, 2014 - Give Up on Giving Up

If you've stumbled onto this blog you should know that this week's sermon is very contextual. It doesn't lend itself well to lots of notes. With that, here's a couple.

Some info on Ephesians. Note as always that I'm not endorsing the site this info comes from or the overall beliefs of those who run it. This page does have some helpful information though.

Donor fatigue is not the same thing as campaign fatigue, but it's real too. Campaign fatigue means that as an organization we're tired. Donor fatigue has to do more with specific individuals. I am eternally grateful to those donors who have time and time again supported St. Paul's financially.

As ridiculous as it sounds to some, compassion fatigue is very real. There's a whole website devoted to it. If you think this may apply to you specifically then you might check it out.

March 23, 2014 - Give Up on Having It All

You may actually be able to have lots of sweets and decent health thanks to a berry that has been discovered that makes everything taste sweeter. I'm not going to try it though - it's not FDA approved.

Information on the stress study mentioned came from/ Statistic Brain. If you have stress issues that you think are causing medical problems you might want to look at the Stress Management section of WebMD.

Perseverate really is a word. It's one of my wife Tracy's favorites.

Marti Johnson, who leads the Monday Study Group at St. Paul's sent the quote from Evelyn Underhill to me. It's the second time in a week that I've seen her book The Spiritual Life quoted. I haven't read it but it might be worth checking out.

March 9, 2014 - Give Up on Being Good Enough

Understanding what makes you tick can be very insightful. You can take the DISC personality assessment online to learn more about yourself.

Matthew 5:48, which tells us to be perfect, doesn't really mean that we should be perfect.

Good to Great really is a great book. Jim Collins rightfully describes it as an organizational book, not a business book, making it a great tool for just about anyone.

This sermon is not about the death penalty, but for the record I am opposed. One reason is simply that we will make mistakes.

Dr. Brene Brown has several videos that talk about her findings and beliefs on worthiness, shame, vulnerability, and imperfection. Here's the full version of her TED talk from worship today.

When I talked about Adam and Eve I mentioned that Adam is drawn to Eve more because of similarity than difference. This is important in the ongoing debate on homosexuality because some opponents will cite this very story as the basis for their opinion. God created man and woman different from each other and that's the way it should be. The most banal form of this argument is the "God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve" bumper sticker. This argument completely misreads the logic of the text. Eve is a companion for Adam precisely because of their similarity. Their differences are inconsequential.

February 23 - Forward in Faith

We're reading just a portion of the great passage in Hebrews. You can read the whole passage at Bible Gateway.

The history of religion is fascinating (at least for me.) I made reference today to the beginnings of Judaism around 2,000 BC. You should know that with a few exceptions dates from the Old Testament are very shaky. Anything prior to about 580 BC is very uncertain. Many of the events described prior to that time may not even be describing true historical events. The classic text claiming that much of the "history" is not is The Bible Unearthed. On the Reliability of the Old Testament was written partially as a response. Unfortunately it is not nearly as readable as The Bible Unearthed is. Both have their strengths.

Christianityinview.com has a more complete but not too detailed timeline of Christianity than what I provide in the sermon, including our roots in Judaism. Please note that I am not endorsing this website or their views. The timeline is a good one, though, with the caveats in the previous paragraph.

February 16, 2014 - The Trouble with Giants

Nothing to add this week. Come back next week.

February 9 - There Was This Guy

We're wrapping up six weeks today on Methodism loosely based on the book A Disciple's Path by Jim Harnish. We will be using this material for small groups in the future. If you aren't part of one of the current groups keep your eyes open for an announcement soon about a new group forming.

Our Scripture today comes from John 4, but I started with John 3. You can read the story of Nicodemus in John 3:1-20. As I said in the sermon, there is no indication in that story that Nicodemus left with any understanding of Jesus' identity. If anything he seems more confused. But Nicodemus reappears in John 19 as a follower of Jesus. Someplace in between he did change. So it often goes for us. We look back on an experience or a word from a person after the fact and realize its significance. Nicodemus wasn't "born again" when Jesus talked with him about being "born again" (or "born from above"), but that doesn't mean change didn't come eventually.

This article talks about the addition of the word witness to our membership vows. This happened at General Conference, the quadrennial gathering of UM leadership in a legislative body. General Conference is the only group that can officially speak for the United Methodist Church. You can read more about General Conference here (btw, the people in the center was our delegation from 2008).

Triumphalism made the news last fall in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis made a statement that included an indictment of triumphalism. Catholics responded in a variety of ways, represented pretty well by this and this post. Obviously we don't come from a Catholic perspective, but the posts may be helpful to you in understanding the concept better.

If you're new today the story of my conversation with a gay man might make you uncomfortable. Make sure to read our welcome statement, printed every Sunday on the bulletin. St. Paul's is and always has been a church that fully welcomes all people into our community of faith. I'm proud to be a pastor of a church that is committed to sharing God's unconditional love.

January 26 - Giving Your All

Money is an uncomfortable topic for us to discuss. I hope today's sermon isn't uncomfortable for you. I hope it is helpful in thinking about your finances.

You can Google "Colyer Brothers" to find more on their story. These photographs will blow your mind.

If you or someone you know struggles with hoarding, the International OCD Foundation has a good page on how to start trying to help someone (or yourself) with hoarding. They also have a help center with links to information and several good resources.

There is increasingly clear research suggesting at least a correlation if not causation that generally the wealthy give less than those who make less. Patricia Greenfield's study seems to me to be more correlation. This 2008 study points to causation. Finally, this piece from Salon is more about the kinds of charity that the wealthy give to. Importantly, as the Salon article points out, there are many exceptions to this rule. There are many very generous wealthy people and many greedy poor people. This is all about tendencies and trends, not the practice of individuals.

Wesley's sermon, The Use of Money, can be found in several sources. The standard collection of Wesley's sermons are the first four volumes of The Works of John Wesley.

I think I summarize Wesley's three rules on money pretty well, but this article gives another take on it.

January 19 - Get It Together

Just a couple notes to share this week. I hope you find them interesting:

The story of Le Chambon is truly remarkable. I first read about it several years ago in a Phillip Yancey book. I can't remember which book, but anything by Yancey is worth reading. You can read the whole story in Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed by Phillip Hallie. Yancey gives a very nice summary, but Hallie's book has lots of details that are interesting if you want to get more in depth. There is also a documentary, Weapons of the Spirit, which I have not seen. It was directed by one of the children that was hidden in the village. Looks like it's hard to find. If you get a copy let me know!

The term crowdsourcing was coined by Wired Magazine in 2006, but in reality it has a long history. We think of crowdsourcing as a group of people unrelated in any way to each other working on the same project, but I'd argue that by virtue of the fact that they are working together on a project they are a community, even if a virtual community. Thought of in this way, crowdsourcing has been around in one form or another since the beginning of community itself.

January 12 - Strangely Warm

There is some debate about precisely how important John Wesley's "Aldersgate Experience" was to his formation, but there is no doubt that it was important. You can read Wesley's account of the experience here.

Albert Outler, who coined the phrase "Wesleyan Quadrilateral" actually stated later in life that he wished he had never used the term because of how misused it is. Here's a short article on the quadrilateral including an interview with Richard Heitzenrater, who is one of the foremost authorities on all things Wesley.

A short but good blog on Wesley and the heart. You might also be interested in the book John Wesley's Conception and Use of Scripture. It's a little dense but very informative. The author, Scott Jones, also happens to be our bishop!

And, of course, I recommend the book that some of us are studying right now, A Disciple's Path by Jim Harnish.

January 5 - The Way of Grace

- Consider using a study Bible or a commentary as you study Scripture. Some really good ones are the Wesley Study Bible and the New Interpreter's Commentary. If you're super serious there is an excellent multi volume commentary too.

- All you want to know about John Wesley and more.

- For more on Methodism in general, This We Believe is a fantastic book on beliefs and Wesley and the People Called Methodist is great for history. This We Believe is an easier read but neither one are too difficult.

December 15 - Hope Proclaimed

The blog is taking an unannounced vacation until after Christmas. Come back then, and in the meantime proclaim the hope and  Good News that is Jesus Christ!

December 8 - Hope Revealed

Theophilus - I mentioned that Theophilus could be a reference to a specific person or it could be a reference to all "beloved of God." There is some interesting information here.

Our reading this morning came from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) instead of the Common English Bible (CEB) that we usually use. The reading is much more familiar with the NRSV phrasing. The CEB uses "guest room" instead of "inn." Here's a blog that talks about why (note that it is referring  to a different version of the Bible but the use of "guest room" is the same. If you want more information on the question of where Jesus was born read this article.

I don't normally cite Wikipedia entries but this one on Augustus really is good.