Surprised by Hope: 2.1

Below is the first half of chapter 2, “Puzzled About Paradise?”
Puzzled by Paradise?
In the first chapter we examined some of the varying beliefs within the wider, un-churched world about resurrection and life after death. We saw that there are a sundry (why should the Brits keep the cool words to themselves?) of [...]

Nooma 013: Rich

Last night I showed our youth group “Rich” from NOOMA. This particular NOOMA is perhaps one of the more challenging in that Rob really calls into question what it means to be “blessed” and what our responsibilities with blessing entails. In stacatto-like fashion he shoots off several facts ending each one with “rich.” [...]

Peace Be With You

After that last post (below) I couldn’t escape the idea of “peace.” The gospel text for this week is John 20:19-31 and as I was working on it for my sermon tomorrow I was drawn to the peace of Christ and our role as a church in embodying that peace. Here is [...]

The Watering Down of “Heretic”

I have debated (mostly with myself) putting my thoughts to words on this subject because the last thing in the world I want to be is contentious or gossipy or one who causes strife. Even as I type that part of me is screaming “then just shut up!” and hit delete. But something [...]

Orphan No More Adoption Ministry

It won’t be long now before we have our two little children home from Ethiopia (if all goes according to plan we will fly to Ethiopia in early May to bring them home –You can follow that journey on me and my wife’s blog at More to Love )
Through this whole journey [...]

Surprised by Hope: Chapter One (Revised)

All Dressed Up and No Place to Go?
In this first chapter Wright sets out to show the confusion that is present in the wider world about life after death. Five snapshots set the scene for the two questions the book as a whole will be addressing:
1. Princess Di’s death in 1997 and the preceding [...]

Community Garden

I am in a class called Theology of the Land: Reading the OT through Agrarian Eyes. In it we explore the theological signficance of land and food in the Old Testament (turns out it is quite signficant!) Last Wednesday we had the manager of Anathoth Garden speak to us about how they got [...]

Confessions…

It is no secret in my life or in my preaching (see my Easter sermon titled “From Weeping to Laughing”) that the pivotal event in my life was the remarriage of my mom and dad after several years of divorce on the heels of my mother’s adulterous affair. The fact that my mom was [...]

Surprised by Hope…Commercial

For years Christians have been asking, “If you died tonight, do you know where you would go?” It turns out that many believers have been giving the wrong answer. It is not heaven.
These are the first words you would read on the inside flap of N.T. Wright’s latest book, Suprised by Hope: [...]

Cartoon

I was scanning the web for a suitable easter picture to use on Sunday’s Easter bulletin and came accross this. No, I’m not using it…though I’m tempted

From Weeping to Laughing

I live in a rural town and having a Podcast is perhaps as fanciful thinking as it is for us to think about time travel. I write all my sermons out in manuscript form and don’t intend to post many on here, but Easter is one of those special times. I hope [...]

Hell Took a Body and Discovered God

While composing my Easter message for tomorrow I am humbled in light of the greatest Easter sermon perhaps ever preached. I thought it was worth putting here for anyone who stumbles on this blog to read and be fed by. It is by John Chrysostom (c.349-407) who is the early church’s greatest preacher [...]

Just Doing My Job…

My brother sent me this clip – Watch this reporter get an unexpected, free buzz while on the job. Too funny!
Reporter Gets a Buzz

Resurrection Wonder

The following is my message for tomorrow morning’s sunrise service. It is one I have used before but I felt worth repeating. I need this reminder myself!!
Resurrection Wonder
I remember celebrating Easter as a child and how exciting it was. We had a tradition in our family where each Easter morning [...]

Atonement, Eternity and the Gospel

I was in the midst of a discussion on another blog (Emergent Village) that was about one thing and quickly turned into another thing. Understanding the “another thing,” however, is perhaps the greatest challenge to overcome before the “one thing” can make sense (If you need to go back and reread that sentence, please [...]

The Night that Changed Everything

Last night was Holy, or Maundy, Thursday. Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum which is the first word of Jesus’ phrase, “a new commandment I give to you.” We get the word “mandate” from it. It is the night Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper and footwashing. It [...]

God Damn America?

Everyone is well aware by now of the outrage caused by Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s sermon a few years ago where he said, “God damn America.” The controversy is over the fact that Wright is Obama’s pastor and “spiritual mentor” and people think a presidential candidate shouldn’t be taking advice from someone with such [...]

Him that Pisseth Against the Wall…

I stole this from Ben Witherington’s blog. It was too good to pass up. Like Ben said, this sermon clip contains everything I never learned in seminary but perhaps should have (ha!). This is a young Baptist preacher expounding on an obscure passage in the OT that I’m sure will be convicting [...]

Thoughts & Feelings, Convictions & Beliefs

On my way to Duke today I listened to Rob Bell’s message from March 9, 2008 entitled, “I Do Not Know.” You can download it for free, along with the last 12 weeks of sermons by going here: Mars Hill Sermons.
I have been listening to Rob’s sermons for a few years now but [...]

Nooma 019 – Open: Part Deux

In my previous post about this I said I would come back to what I see as a connection between N.T. Wright’s new book Surprised by Hope and Rob Bell’s thoughts on prayer in Open. This probably isn’t a coincidence seeing as how Bell endorsed Wright’s book. I plan to get into specifics [...]