Ode 17

What a Day That Will Be (oh, and DRESS WARM!!!)

Tomorrow is one of our biggest days ever at Sugarloaf UMC. We are bringing everyone in our congregation together for one gigantic service at 10 AM. At the end of the worship time together we will go outside, surround the buildings, and all pray a prayer together.
Let's unite with one voice, in one prayer, leaving together in one purpose! It's going to be a wonderful day!

One Service, One Time, One BLASt, One SLAM, One Prayer ...Together We Are ONE

Over the years, we have carefully crafted our service times at Sugarloaf UMC to accommodate the best attendance possible. Traffic flow, time it takes to get inside and get seated, movement from ministry area to ministry area, etc.; all of these things have been attended to in hours and hours of staff meetings and hallway conversations.

But we're thinking outside of the box...

On Sunday, January 18th at 10 AM, we are asking all in our congregation to attend one huge service of worship and prayer as we lift up the ministry of Sugarloaf United Methodist Church and pray for the direction of our future. I am so excited about this event!

How can we logistically do this? We will with God's help and yours. Keep your ears tuned for how this will work. Begin to pray now, don't wait until January 18th. Let's prepare our hearts and lives, inside and outside the walls of church, for the moving of God in and through our congregation.

Together we are ONE!!

One Service, One Time, One BLASt, One SLAM, One Prayer..... TOGETHER we are ONE. 

 ONE BIG EVENT: Sunday January 18th 10am

Scary Words

There are a lot of words that can make you feel uncomfortable and uneasy when used inappropriately or at the wrong time. We are cautioned about conversations we should avoid at our holiday gatherings while being gently encouraged to be somewhat generic with our tone and verbiage.
A word that has fallen on tough times...

Theology Can Be So Serious

I have to admit I'm a Monty Python fan. I offer this with hysterical apologies. I have laughed until I cried so many times over this scene.

Pray!

You all have newspapers and televisions so I know that you know what I know. All kinds of economic weirdness is happening. But may I ask you to shift gears today? I would love for you to join me in praying for the following:
-Our team in Russia as they begin the process of packing up, saying goodbye, and flying home. Join me in praying for God's blessings on their travels and rest for their bodies.
-Our services on Sunday as we celebrate 12 awesome years of ministry at Sugarloaf UMC. Through the highs and lows God has consistently shown himself to be faithful.
-Our families. There are a lot of stress factors going on in the world. Pray that we will all be a light in the darkness.
-Our leaders in Washington DC. In fact, pray for all of our leaders on every level.

Have an awesome day in Christ!

In Class Today

Today, this beautiful Saturday, is the first day of my Contemporary Theology class. So I am sitting in the new Candler School of Theology building on the Emory University campus. Here we will discuss the task of theology, the doctrine of God and the grammar of theology, theological tradition in the modern world, etc., etc. I bet you wish you could trade places with me right now.

Rick Warren: The Most Powerful Religious Leader

That is what the new issue of Time magazine calls him. I posted this blog to simply let you know that I am surprised...and thinking about it. I understand where they are coming from. I understand Rick Warren is acting revolutionary. I understand he is the pastor of Saddleback, one of the five largest churches in America. Just understand that I am trying to digest it all.

Good Thoughts from Mike Devine

My friend, Mike, writes a daily online devotion. Here are his thoughts for today.

Matthew 7 ⁷ "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Have you ever noticed the tendency in yourself, (because this tendency is in all of us), that what you focus on grows in importance?  (Read on...)

What Bono Says About Christianity

One of the books I am reading is The Blogging Church, by Brian Bailey. The forward is written by Ed Young, pastor of the 20,000 member Fellowship Church. Young expresses that he had an opportunity to meet with lead singer Bono, of U2. The rock star said something very true...

A More Macho Messiah

Hah! One of the great things about Christianity is that there is always someone stirring the pot. The Pastor of Mar's Hill Church in Seattle is looking for more testosterone in church men. He says the church has produced "a bunch of nice, soft, tender, chickified...