Exercises for the Spirit 6/6
Colby Martin's book Unclobber deals with the biblical-theological necessity of LGBTQ+ inclusion, and tells the story of his conversion on that exact question. "Convertibility" is a Christian virtue, isn't it? We say yes.
Exercises for the Spirit 5/6
From the prayer wall on Sunday.
Honoring suffering and speaking benediction -- the dual disciplines that tell both truths about lived human experience. 1. It is truly awful. 2. It will (probably) be okay.
Exercises for the spirit 4/6
"Honor the body that is you. Honor the body that God made. Honor the body that carried you here tonight, and will carry you home when the time is right."
Exercises for the Spirit 3/6
On prayer, and the spiritual practice of getting lost. "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!" Sometimes that's all you need: the recognition that God is here, too. Look around. Say hello.
Katie, Haiti. January 1988.
1988, St. Louis du Nord, Haiti. Medical team and translators.
Rivers swollen by typhoon flooding.
Exercises for the Spirit 2/6
You are too tired to change the world. That's just the way Pharaoh likes it. Get some sleep! God likes God's people to be well-rested so we can repair the breach, restore the streets, ride on the heights of the earth!
Sarah is too tired to change the world.
Exercises for the Spirit 1/6
Jenny and her mom.
Grasshopper Jenny muses on the “Quotidian Mysteries” — the idea that God can be found in the smallest, most ordinary tasks of daily life. As a mom, grandmom, and caregiver to her parents, she would know.
Hide-n-seek-n-find, 4/4
That's Jay, in the classy hat, on the right. Tarrant County Pride Parade 2016.
Jay the Intern, formerly known as Jay the Actuary, has some things to say about widows who press their claims... and who, in the end, sits down at Jesus’s table. Dang it, Jay!
Ryan's XPLOR Report
We sent Ryan Felber on a year-long fellowship with XPLOR -- a program that helps young adult discover their gifts, and listen for God's calling. And then he came back to us, ready to serve our church in ministry. Thanks be to God!
Hide-n-seek-n-find, 3/4
God does not want your piety. Father Abraham said so. So what *does* God want?
Hide-n-seek-n-find, 2/4
"You cannot serve God and money."
You cannot serve God and race privilege.
You cannot serve God and class privilege.
You cannot serve God and cis-het privilege.
You cannot serve God and male privilege.
You cannot serve God and patriotism.
But what if, in the service of God, we could make any of those things serve us?
Hide-n-seek-n-find, 1/4
Take a look at those parables in the middle of Luke that aren't in the other gospels. They're strange and lovely. The Parables of Lost Things in Luke 15 are among our favorites, for good reason. What happened to that young man? Where is his mama?
What God Really Really Wants: 7/7
Heaven = pearly gates, golden streets? Hell = fiery lake, eternal torment? Nah. It's "the day of the Lord" we're waiting for, living for, and Zephaniah wants to help us want what God wants.
What God Really Really Wants: 6/7
Habakkuk has writer's block -- no word from the Lord to share. And that's problematic, if you're a prophet. Or maybe just if you're a person who wishes God would hurry the f*** up and make things right. The help you need to hang in there while you wait on s-l-o-o-o-w God -- that's what we're here for.
What God Really Really Wants: 5/7
Oh, Jonah. Why you wanna be so mad at God?
What God Really Really Wants: 4/7
Ministry intern Jenny Jacobson says what God really really wants is... well, little things, like justice, and kindness, and humility before God. And she says it in the loveliest way, with the prophet Micah's help.
What God Really Really Wants: 3/7
Amos looks at economic inequity, the systemic brokenness wherein the poor get poorer and the rich are “cows of Bashan”, and says, “God really really doesn’t want that.” Are we, in our churches and in our politics, thinking and talking about poverty with the same passion? Why not?
What God Really Really Wants: 2/7
Jay (our brand-new intern from Brite Divinity School) takes on Joel -- a contextless prophet whose mysterious identity leaves us with lots of interpretive choices. But while we're choosing, the earth is burning with wildfire, plague, drought, and famine. What does God think about that?
What God Really Really Wants: 1/7
The “Minor” Prophets of the Hebrew Bible can see it -- what God really, really wants -- and they'll do just about anything to tell us what they see. Starting with Hosea, we'll let them have their say over seven potentially painful weeks.
This is my son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 8/8
The queer, saving love of our queer, Samaritan God.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 7/8
"Lambs among wolves," Jesus called his friends. We've been feeling a little lamb-ish ourselves. And what did he intend them/us to do about that? Remain as vulnerable as possible. Hope for hospitality. Share a table, share good news.
