The “thank you” is first! In the third full month of taking the new website and blog public, we have surpassed 4000 monthly visits! Through 30 days of August, visitors to the site represent 61 countries. I say “Thank You” to every visitor and regular reader for the encouragement you provide. By your visits and involvement, you say that this …
Monthly Archives: August 2008
When the AC goes out….
The air conditioning went out on my car Tuesday afternoon. Since the outside temperatures were in the mid-90s, I felt fortunate that I was only about 90 miles from my destination. Because I am currently a one-car family (Jan has her car in Colorado where she is engaged in grandmothering chores for our new granddaughter) and …
The church and humanism
Patch Adams was in McAlester recently. Lots of folks went to hear him. He is interesting and funny. He supports a lot of worthwhile causes at the Gesundheit Institute and seeks to improve health care in our nation. All well and good–but…. Patch Adams is a humanist. A seminar offered at the Institute next month …
Morgan Jayne
Yesterday Jan and I were blessed by the birth of another grandchild! Morgan Jayne is our third granddaughter. I haven’t see her, but I know she is beautiful. Jan is in Colorado doing the grandmotherly thing and spending lots of time with big brother Joseph. God marvelously blesses us when he gives us time for the people in our …
Carl Capers: A Tribute
Births are part of life. This week Jan and I are anticipating the birth of another granddaughter. Funerals are equally part of life. Many in our society seek insulation and isolation from death. I am amazed at how many young people have never attended a funeral. I am on the “call list” for a local funeral home–a minister on …
How Should We “Do” Church? (4): Worship and Preaching
WORSHIP AND PREACHING: DO WE REALLY KNOW HOW TO DO CHURCH? [Note: you can link to previous blogs in this series: (April 20, April 27, May 4) .] Recently, I was visiting with a friend. He shared an observation from an acquaintance outside the churches of Christ: “You guys have the best preaching around but …
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A Little Bit Will Go a Long Way
I received an email this week with the estimated cost for a little project in Latin American (Santa Maria del Real, Honduras). There is a need for $750 to rebuild the wall in front of the church building. Let me share some background quickly. After hurricane Mitch, we feared that the walls of the old building would …
Living Life with the Sirens Blaring
Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? Had to give way in the last few days to a passing ambulance? I am amazed at the number of ambulances that go by my office on any given day. An ambulance tears around town with its siren blaring. It is always going to a crisis or leaving …
The Shack
Just finished reading The Shack over the past weekend–Wow! This 2007 book is a delight–but the real word to describe it is phenomenon. Theology, narrative, novel, spiritual reality–all rolled into one. It doesn’t qualify as superb writing according to the general standards of the literary guild, and there’s no reasonable explanation of the impact it has had on countless …
Missional: Working on the Definition
About a year ago, I began hearing and reading the phrase, “Missional X”. Shorthand for “Missional Experience.” The question keeps surfacing in different ways and forms: What is missional? What does it mean for a church to be missional? We who find ourselves in typical, historical churches tend to look for another institutional tweaking. OK, …