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A collection of 524 posts

Convergent Model of Renewal: Discussion Guide and Sketchnotes (Intro & Chp. 1)

We have started a discussion group at Camas Friends Church to discuss my book, A Convergent Model of Renewal. I will post the sketchnotes and discussion questions here each week for anyone who would like to download them and use them. Feel free to share and dispense however that makes

Avoiding the Default Position (John 21:1-14)

“That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for

The Gift of Thomas (John 20)

“But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in

Meeting for Readings and How to Do Them

Mikel Birkel’s book “Engaging Scripture” Reading the Bible with Early Friends,” is a fantastic book that is helpful not just for Quakers but for anyone looking for different ways of reading Scripture (inwardly, meditatively, together, lectio, for transformation, etc.). It’s a book we’ve used in a variety

Jesus, God’s Wrath and the Merchants of Truth (John 2)

“In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and

The Truth of Becoming (Mark 8)

“…He asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered

Is the Empire Striking Back? (Mark 1)

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You

Sketchnotes for Nursery of Truth

These are the sketchnotes from my recent message “The Nursery of Truth” based on John 15. I’ve been using this much larger size of paper and loving how much I can fit onto one page. I like this approach because it helps to get the whole picture. Once I

The Nursery of Truth (John 15)

From the very beginning of the Quaker movement, Friends have liked asking questions. Part of this is because they got rid of the creeds, and something need to take their place. So they used queries. We could have t-shirts made up that says something like “The church of questions.” (Q:

The Taste of Truth (John 18:33-38)

“Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is

The Maze Dull Truth (Mark 1:21-28)

Expectations and Maze Dull Rats Robert Rosenthal was a psychologist who is famous for his experiment with rats in a maze. The experiment looked at “expectancy effects” and how our expectations have a direct effect on the outcome of what we are doing (link). In 1963, Rosenthal took two groups

The Plush Silence of Heaven (Psalm 82)

This is the message I gave this past Sunday based on Psalm 82. God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the weak and

Portraits of Failure, Communion of Love

Portraits of Failure A man named Asaph is believed to be the author of the Psalm. It is about his wrestling with his own failure and the near miss of being sucked into the illusion of measuring life in relation to successes and failures. “No doubt about it! God is

Where the Sidewalk Ends (Psalm 44)

This is an adapted version of a message I gave this past Sunday. It draws on themes from Psalm 44. As I have been reflecting on the theme of lament I realized that lament is the byproduct of those communities trying to live out faithfulness in a world. A community

In the Deep End With Grief: Thoughts On Pastoral Care to Those Hurting Most

In the Deep End With Grief: Thoughts On Pastoral Care to Those Hurting Most

As the previous year comes to a close, I’m reposting some articles from 2014 I wrote elsewhere on the web. This is a post I wrote about grief that originally posted on the blog Antioch Session. I find it hard to carry the weight of my own pain, let

We Are The Stargazers (Matthew 2:1-12)

We Are The Stargazers (Matthew 2:1-12)

Herod and The Theologians Our passage this morning presents two contrasting groups of people discerning the will of God. King Herod and the Theologians on one side and the “three wise men” or Magi on the other. The arrival of Jesus makes for a very real, very large scale, as

Learning the Art of Sketchnote Preaching

Learning the Art of Sketchnote Preaching

Many of you know I love “Sketchnote Preaching.” If you’re not sure what that is here is where I was interviewed on Sermon Smith and another one on Sketchnote Army. Below is a post about how I got into doing this, what it is and how you can to

The Angel of No Going Back or the Day of Visitation (Luke 1:26-38)

The Angel of No Going Back or the Day of Visitation (Luke 1:26-38)

“Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:26–38 NRSV) The day of visitation Our text this morning gives us a glimpse into what early Quakers would call “a

On Being Exiled, Trains and Belonging

On Being Exiled, Trains and Belonging

This is my sermon from this past Sunday: “I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of

On Not Locking Anyone Out – Matthew 25:1-13

On Not Locking Anyone Out – Matthew 25:1-13

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their

Learning to Say Farewell

Learning to Say Farewell

Finally, my brothers and sisters, farewell in the Lord. The letter to the Church in Philippi reflects Paul’s own uncertainty about his life and what I think is his own trying to prepare his community for his passing (cf. 1:6; 1:20–24; 1:27; 2:5–11;

The Sketchnote Workbook

I had the wonderful opportunity of being included in Mike Rohde’s new Sketchnote Workbook. This book is both beautifully illustrated and really helpful for learning how to use sketchnotes for all the different aspects of you life. Check it out.

Sketchnote Preaching

Awhile back I had an article published over at the Antioch Session blog on sketchnote preaching. If you’re interested in knowing more about sketchnotes and how to use it for your writing and preaching this is meant to be an introduction to the whole thing. I opened my notebook

For What Must Have Seemed Like a Really Long and Drawn Out Slumber (Jonah 3)

Confronting Calamity The story of Jonah is propelled forward, we learn, because Calamity looms over Nineveh. We don’t know what kind of calamity it would look like, all we know is that there is pending consequences for the Assyrian empire. And Jonah is told by God to walk headlong

Finding Jonah in the First and Second Half of Life

“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went