blip : Being Lonely In Paradise :

I’ve read and thought a bit about the theology of communion (see this post by Camassia for a good discussion of some of the theological issues surrounding communion), but not as much about the act—how to actually “do communion.” In other words, I’ve thought about how often to do communion, what it means, what it [...]

[Read more →]

The local weekly paper here in Durham has an article about the most recent execution. Perrie Dyon Simpson was the 40th person killed in Raleigh in the past couple decades, and the 24th person governor Mike Easley has denied clemency. The article focused on the 15 people, dressed in sack-cloth and carrying ashes, who were [...]

[Read more →]

At my church we share all the tasks that need to happen in order for us to have a worship service. I’ve been on the preaching roatation for a couple years now (I usually post my sermons here). Recently I joined the group of folks who take turns planning the Sunday service. Well, as I [...]

[Read more →]

I was asked a question the other day by a friend and it’s been nagging me ever since. The question is this (quick background first: we have a retreat each year for the whole church and usually invite an outside speaker to come teach for the weekend. Also our church supports women in leadership/ministry):

“What [...]

[Read more →]

Yesterday I mentioned my sermon from last week (see post on baptism). Well, I finally figured out how to include an image in the post, so now I can post it. The image is important because I basically preached on an Eastern Orthodox icon. I’m not sure if I pulled it off. I handed out [...]

[Read more →]

This past Sunday was the time in the Christian year when we remember the baptism of Jesus. Well, I preached but I don’t think it went too well. I don’t know… It was just one of those times when the words just didn’t sound right. My own words exhausted me; they annoyed me. A quote [...]

[Read more →]

It’s not that I’m obsessed with sin. It’s just that last week as I was preparing to preach I stumbled across this great quote from Herbert McCabe, OP and couldn’t pass it up. I also realized that I’ve never really posted on McCabe even though he’s at the top of my list of most influencial [...]

[Read more →]

I wrote down this quote a long time ago and want to throw away the clipping of paper. So, why not post it? The quote offers a great window into Stanley Hauerwas’ project. For Hauerwas, ecclesiology is important because individuals can’t be disciples without the liturgical training that takes place in the worshiping community. (This [...]

[Read more →]

I dig my church, but every year the first sermon of the year goes something like this: “What is God’s number one concern, his overarching purpose and motivation for all he does? God’s glory. The unifying thread through scripture? God’s glory. What should our primary concern in life be? God’s glory. What will bring us [...]

[Read more →]