Hello my friends. Thanks for stopping by. I'm sitting at Panera Bread with a premium seat by the fireplace. My work is prepared for tomorrow's church service so I have a bit more of a relaxing Saturday in store than normal.
Simply Christian. I've been enjoying Simply Christian by N. T. Wright. I'll be sad when I'm finished with it. The book is divided up into 3 sections: the first an apologetic for God; the second an apologetic for the Christian God; and the third, and thus far my favorite, an apologetic for the Christian faith. The most recent two chapters on worship and prayer have been profound for me. The chapter on worship discussed, among other things, incorporating Scripture readings into the worship service as a normal part of the Christian worship, so...
More Scripture Reading at Church Requel. I discussed this idea with our leadership team Thursday night. Friday, I did some research on the lectionary - a traditional schedule of Bible readings that covers the major sections of the Scriptures over a two year period of time. I found a great site: www.textweek.com. I included the readings for this Sunday in our weekend service at Church Requel. I called different people who make Church Requel a weekly habit and asked them if they would be willing to read tomorrow. Each person said, "yes." Most sounded excited about it. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out for us.
Tomorrow's sermon is "Five Principles for Recovery." We have been examining the concept of Church Burnout from Anne Jackson's Mad Church Disease. These five principles were my favorite part of the book. I reached deep within myself in preparation for this week's talk, spending more time in preparation than I normally do. As a result, I'm really looking forward to sharing with our small, new congregation.
This is what I was designed for. Each new day convinces me more that the events of the past three months (losing my job at Crossroads and the aftermath) have been a supreme blessing to me. I have nothing but the greatest respect for the hard working, servant minded folks at Crossroads - staff and volunteers alike. When I was there I could never have contemplated a life away from there. But now that I'm here, I'm thankful for each opportunity that God is giving me. I'm meeting new friends, making new connections, thinking and praying in new ways, and watching God work on, in, and through my faith. (That's a lot of prepositions, but it's the only way I know to describe the faith I'm experiencing without at the same time taking any credit for it. As Paul said long before me, it is the Spirit of Christ who is working in and through me.)
Mixed joy. I know that when I write things like I do above that there are those who read this and feel like I am completely over the break in relationships with friends at Crossroads. I don't think this will ever be true. While I was there, my life was so immersed in friendships and relationships, so filled with love for people and passion for work, that I think I will forever grieve the parting. However, as already stated, I believe God is at work with me and was not, nor is not surprised at what has developed - so I trust in Him. Also I think it is probably best for Crossroads and its leadership for me to remain apart so that they can also move forward with their ministry. God is at work and, I think, will be pleased by multiple ministries and expressions of His love and grace in Mansfield.
Celebrating my Dad. To get back to earth just for a moment, I am also celebrating my earthly father. He is in the final stages of preparation for a cross-country - and by country I do mean the U.S. of A. - tricycle trip from Pacific to Atantic. He is doing a great job blogging about his preparations and plans to keep a blog going of his journey as well. You may want to bookmark his site to read about his progress: www.walsinepierce.com.
Let's Get Physical. Some of you have been following the "pushups" log on the Twitter feed. I'm now into the fourth week of the routine found at www.hundredpushups.com. According to the author of this site it should be possible for someone to get to the place where they can do one hundred pushups in a row, without a break, in about a six week period of time. I was doing well until this week. While I have been fully dedicated to doing the work, I'm finding my 51 year old body had not been quite able to do it. So I may have to repeat this week - maybe several times. So what if it actually takes more than six weeks. It is a great routine and has been helpful to me.
Some friends of mine have come to join me at Panera so I'll sign off for now. May you have a blessed weekend. Mark.
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