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
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
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.
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.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
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.
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.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
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.
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.
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