Gathering In Light

Blog Entries

Simone Weil on Idolatry

I’m sitting with this one for awhile: Idolatry comes from the fact that, while thirsting for absolute good, we do not possess the power of supernatural attention and we have not the patience to allow it to develop (Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace 53). What helps you, if anything

Blog Entries

Are We Too Sleeping? Presence in Chaos, Hospitality Amidst Hostility

Last week as I was working through Luke 22 I was struck by what seemed to be almost an off-hand comment I read in Joel Green’s commentary about the garden scene with Jesus and the disciples. He reads the interaction in the garden, the contrast between Jesus’ own struggling

Blog Entries

Podcasts I’m Enjoying Currently

Here’s a list of some of the podcasts I enjoy (or at least enjoy in theory – when I take time to listen!). * Homebrewed Christianity * NPR: All Songs Considered * NPR: Live Concerts * This American Life * RocketBoom * Mars Hill Bible Church (Rob Bell) * Camas Friends Podcast (wink wink) * The Ooze.TV

Green

Michael Pollan’s NY Times Food Rules

Michael Pollan of the “In Defense of Food” fame has compiled a list of 20 do’s and don’ts for food on the NY Times. It’s not only a great list with some provocative thoughts, but it’s also just kind of fun to flip through. Here are

Church in Mission

Unexpected Visitors

Things have been going well at my new job as pastor. I’m enjoying the work and I’m enjoying the steep learning curve that comes along with it. Things have been by-and-large steady, no major crises or anything like that which has been a really good way to start

Featured

Interventions: Jesus and the New Family (Pt 2)

This is my reflections on Luke 14:25-35 from September 20th, 2009 and is in two parts, both work independently from one another. Part one has been published here. It was originally titled: Interventions: Discipleship and the Disavowal of all that Obstructs This part about hating families is at least

Featured

Interventions: Discipleship in a Permissive Culture (Pt 1)

This is my reflections on Luke 14:25-35 from September 20th, 2009 and is in two parts, both work independently from one another. Part two has been published here. It was originally titled: Interventions: Discipleship and the Disavowal of all that Obstructs Reversal of The Sayings: Discipleship in a Permissive

The Theological

Simone Weil: Gravity and Grace

I’m still (slowly) reading through Simone Weil’s book “Gravity and Grace” for part of my daily time of reflection. Here are a couple great quotes I’ve recently come across dealing with obedience and caring for others. We should do only those righteous actions which we cannot stop

Blog Entries

Alyosha the Pot by Leo Tolstoy

This morning I read Alyosha the Pot, a very short story by Leo Tolstoy. If you’ve got 15 minutes I encourage to take a break, jump over to google books and read the story. It’s beautiful and heart breaking, and would be great to discuss. I won’t

Blog Entries

Barth, the Task of Theology, and some Queries

I came across this quote in my reading of Vail Palmer’s manuscript on Friends, God and the Bible this morning. It’s Barth cautioning what we carry to the biblical text beforehand, it’s also encouragement to look for the encounter, or what I’ve been referring to as

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One (Growing) Perspective on Evangelicalism and Politics

I was recently asked why as an Evangelical I don’t follow the standard issue Evangelical party platform, here’s how I start to answer that question. Heated political rhetoric comes and goes in waves. Currently in the United States, we’re riding a tidal wave named “Health Care Reform.

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Interventions: The Clock of the Kingdom (or Learning to Tell and Understand Time)

Reflections from Luke 12:54-59; 13:6-21 September 13, 2009 Intro. We have come a long way in our journey of encounters and interventions through Luke. If you have missed some of our previous discussions I invite you to check out our blog (check out the teaching page) or download

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Celebration of Quakerism and Ben Pink Dandelion

I’m not going to make a habit out of announcing events that Pendle Hill or other organizations do, but I will tell you about the ones I think you should know about, or the ones I would attend if I could. This is no exception. Ben Pink Dandelion is

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Learning How to Tell Time and Quaker Process

I’m enjoying the process of Reading and reflecting on Scripture weekly as I prepare my reflections for our Sunday. This week we’re looking at Luke 12:54-65; 13:6-21. These passages are some of Jesus’ challenges, actions and stories around re-orienting time. They also seem to be good

Blog Entries

Art Simon and Bread For the World Event In Portland

I’m planning on attending the Bread for the World event tomorrow morning. If any of you are in the area and care to join here’s the information from Bread.org: Bread for the World In Portland: Reflections on Building the Movement to End Hunger Rev. Art Simon, the

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Interventions: The Real Distance of Our Neighbors (Luke 10:25-37)

For Sunday morning September 6 we covered the parable of the Good Samaritan. We did things a little differently this morning. At the beginning of the service we watched the short film from Deidox called Robert (See my review here). Then after singing and prayers, I read the queries for

Blog Entries

In (One) Top 100 Church Blogs List

So it appears as though someone has paid off this guy named Kent Schaffer to put my blog on his list of the top 100 church blogs! But whatever the case may be it’s really cool that people still find this blog worth visiting. Things have been slow here

The Cultural

Bob Dylan and the BLACK CROSS (HEZEKIAH JONES)

I was listening to some Bob Dylan the other day when I ran across his version of Black Cross, a poem by Joseph Newman in 1948. I jumped out at me most likely because I’m currently reflecting on the Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. This poem/song is

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Interventions: (The) Feeding (of) the Twelve? (Luke 9:10-17)

From Sunday August 30, 20009 [We used Bagels and Lox as a part of an object lesson during the Sermon, one possible (and tasty) contemporary rendering of loaves and fish.] This morning we are going to look at three ways of reading or understanding this text. a. The Manna Society

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Taking Time To Learn About Other’s Experiences of the Light

This comes from the Advices and Queries of Britain Yearly Meeting: Take time to learn about other people’s experiences of the Light. Remember the importance of the Bible, the writings of Friends and all writings which reveal the ways of God. As you learn from others, can you in

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Being Attentive To the Paths of Intervention (Luke 1-6)

We began the study of the Gospel of Luke back at the beginning of July with an eye towards moments when the narrative turns ever so lightly, or sometimes rather abruptly, in a way that leaves a crack or an opening for us, the interpretative and discerning community of Christ,

The Political

Views on The Current Political Milieu: McClendon and Bonhoeffer

Yesterday, I read through McClendon’s chapter on Bonhoeffer’s life. In the chapter he explores Bonhoeffer’s influences, his theological and spiritual development, and his work with an underground seminary that sought to support and uphold the confessing church in Germany during Hitler’s reign. Finally, as his fellow

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Meeting with a Mentor

I’ve been slowly working through one of Eugene Peterson’s books on pastoral ministry called “Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness. ” The book is a lot about Peterson’s own journey as a pastor, and how he relates often with Jonah from the Hebrew Bible. Jonah

Blog Entries

Simone Weil on Interventions

I’ve titled my sermon series on Luke “Interventions” and so was happy to see Simone Weil was (unsurprisingly) way ahead of me. Here she sums up the approach I’ve been taking with the Gospel of Luke. We must always expect things to happen in conformity with the laws

Blog Entries

Plan Ahead – Convergent Friends and New Monastics at Pendle Hill

Martin Kelley and I will be facilitating a weekend workshop at Pendle Hill this coming May (2010) that explores how tight-knit faith communities, such as convergent Friends, carry on and expand their witness via the web and participatory culture. The dates for the workshop are May 14-16 and there will