I’m puzzled by the frequency with which I hear the phrase, “It was meant to be.” It implies that some force or god was controlling events and that the meant-to-be experience was orchestrated.
It’s interesting that the phrase is used equally by christians and non-christians. So for christians, the phrase points to God for the meaning. And the non-christians give credit to Fate or some other impersonal force for the occurence. Continue reading “Meant to be”
Adam did the “table talk” Sunday. The table talk is the brief talk that is done just before we have the Lord’s Supper. LifeSpring observes the Lord’s Supper weekly.
Some people call it Eucharist. It is a symbolic meal consisting of a symbolic piece of bread and a small cup of wine or grape juice. It is meant to cause reflection on the death and resurrection of Jesus.
I try to get to Playhouse Merced at 6:45 AM in order to get everything set up for our Sunday worship. This normally includes putting out signage, turning on the lights, unpacking the car, and rehearsing the morning sermon.
There’s not much going on at 6:45 AM on Sunday. Traffic lights are mostly green, and those that aren’t usually only take a few seconds to change from red to green. Starbucks has a regular clientele, but aside from that, not many people are walking around.
I had a conversation recently that is troubling to me. The gist of it was that the local Christian community should find a very public and visible place and schedule a prayerfest there. In-your-face prayer.
I’ve had a very busy day. It began with an 8:30 meeting. A city official brought together a group of pastors to talk about faith-based initiatives and how churches could help the city. It was a good meeting, and it was also heartening to hear a public official talking about the role of faith in the city without seeing it as a threat.
Later in the day I met a person who introduced herself and asked me who I was. “I’ve seen you a Starbucks,” she said. I explained that I was a church planter and that I officed in Starbucks.
I got a jury summons a few weeks ago. I’m amazed at how soon I got the summons after moving to Merced. And I also wonder how it found me and not some of the other people that I know who have been here far longer than I have. What’s fair about that?
Bev was reading to me this morning from Timothy Johnson’s book, Finding God in the Questions. We both thought that it was pretty courageous to write this in light of his public celebrity. I was especially impressed with his comments about freewill. Continue reading Timothy Johnson, M.D.
I got an e-mail from my radio guy recently. “I don’t think your 30 second spots will work,” he wrote. “They’re not direct enough.”
I appreciated his candor. I know he wants to see the spots succeed. I also liked the fact that he pushed me to defend what I am doing. Not in a “defensive” sort of way, but in a reasonable, confident sense. Continue reading Radio
My book came in the mail today. A few months ago I got to read five chapters of it while it was still being written, and it drew me in.
Jim and Casper Go To Church is the joint work of a devout Christian (Jim) and an atheist (Casper). Over one summer they visited several churches around the U.S. The book contains observations about 11 of those visits. Continue reading Jim and Casper
When I got up this morning I had no clue what to expect at today’s worship service. This was the third Sunday in our Grand Opening month, but the past two Sunday’s have not been a speck different than any other week.
I left the house at 6:35 am. That was a good bit earlier than I normally leave. I got to the Playhouse about 6:45 and began setting up the 4 street signs we have, turning on the lights, and carrying down our huge video projector and screen. Continue reading Easter
MonoLogue 