April 2011 – Gathering in Light

Short, Pithy, Deceased

Jake Bouma asked on twitter the other day: “Friends: Suggestions for short (100-200pgs), pithy books by deceased theologians?” Good question. I’ve been rolling this around a little while. Here are a few that come to mind. There are more of course, and I recognize some of the limitations of this list but these are theContinue reading “Short, Pithy, Deceased”

The Present Work of Atonement

Came across this quote today by one of my favorite theologians and it sums up in a really nice way some of what I talked about on Easter morning: “That Jesus died by crucifixion in first-century Palestine is as well established as any fact in his disputed life history. That his first-century followers testified toContinue reading “The Present Work of Atonement”

Jesus, the Risen One (Jn 20)

This is the message I gave on Easter morning. This morning we celebrate and remember Jesus raising from the dead. It is not uncommon on Easter Sunday for those in the church to focus in on the fact of the Resurrection. For some, this is the perfect Sunday to bring friends to hear an apologeticsContinue reading “Jesus, the Risen One (Jn 20)”

Art and Protest: BP and Tate Modern

Saw this today and thought it was awesome (ht: GOOD). This art protest is from the liberate tate group. YouTube – Human Cost – Tate Britain Performance, charcoal and sunflower oil.

Who is Raised?

I’m enjoying preparing for worship this coming Easter Sunday. What a great day to celebrate and reflect on. I came across this quote from William Stringfellow (from Sojourners in 1976) and love it. It made me think, who is it that we think was raised to life that Sunday so long ago? Most churchfolk inContinue reading “Who is Raised?”

Connecting with Poverty in Our Community

A week or so ago the Oregonian published an article about poverty in our neck of the woods. The article profiles the “subtle shifts” of poverty taking place in Clark County, the county of which our meeting is a part. The city of Vancouver has worked to push poverty out towards the east parts ofContinue reading “Connecting with Poverty in Our Community”

One of the blog I really like to read, Special Communion, just posted an upcoming event that I’d like to bring to your attention. Eda Uca-Dorn (You really need to listen to her recent interview here) and others from People’s Seminary (www.hopesem.org) will be doing an online dialogue on building true community. Below is a taste. ForContinue reading

Prayers: Elizabeth Woolman

I’ve recently re-read John Woolman’s Journal and have found it to be very challenging and nurturing once again. If you haven’t read it yet I can’t recommend it enough (here is a free ebook version. It is also available via independent bookstores like Powells (see below) and Quaker Books). But one of my favorite parts of theContinue reading “Prayers: Elizabeth Woolman”

Jesus, the Prophet of Mud

This is the text from a recent sermon of mine taken from John 9 where Jesus heals the blind beggar. (We used the Message version of this story which seem to capture what was going on more clearly than the more literal translations). Intro: Our text in John 9 is chalked full of things thatContinue reading “Jesus, the Prophet of Mud”

Waiting for Spring

DSCN7306, a photo by C. Wess Daniels on Flickr. This was a picture I took a little more than a month ago, but when I saw it today it struck me. We have been waiting for spring to break here in the Northwest. It’s not that it’s running real late or anything, the first dayContinue reading “Waiting for Spring”