A Sermon for the Reign of Christ Sunday

I had the great fortune to preach this morning at Argyle UMC! I have attached the link to the video of the sermon from the third service. Grace and peace!

Enliven 2010

I am feeling so very blessed tonight! Currently I am blogging from my cell at Richmond Hill, a former monastery that is now an ecumenical retreat center. There is something about being in a place that has been "prayed in." One can feel the prayers that have risen to God from those who have lived, loved, and worshipped in this place.

I am here attending the Enliven 2010 event for global song leaders and it is AMAZING! Our masterclass tonight was led byPatrick Evans from Yale and he was outstanding. His discussion around 'invitations' was encouraging and thought-provoking!

More to come!


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Location:Brander St,Richmond,United States

Bonhoeffer on relationships

"We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer. The only profitable relationship to others--and especially to our weaker brothers and sisters--is one of love, and that means the will to be in community with them. God did not despise humanity, but became a human for humanity's sake."

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer

As found on pg. 263 of "A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer" The original quote comes from "Letters and Papers from Prison 9"


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A quote from Oscar Romero

Let us not measure the church by the number of its members or by its material buildings. The church has built many houses of worship, many seminaries, many building that have been taken from her. They have been stolen and turned into libraries and barracks and markets and other things.
That doesn’t matter.
The material walls here will be left behind in history. What matters is you, the people, your hearts.
God’s grace giving you God’s truth and life.
Don’t measure yourselves by your numbers. Measure yourselves by the sincerity of heart with which you follow the truth and light of our divine Redeemer.
--Oscar Romero, December 19, 1977
(as found in "The Violence of Love")

A Great Quote from Br. Roger

"When the Church is intent on loving and understanding the mystery of every human being, when tirelessly it listens, comforts, and heals, it becomes what it is at its most luminous: the crystal-clear reflection of a communion." --Brother Roger of Taize

A Great Quote from Br. Roger

"When the Church is intent on loving and understanding the mystery of every human being, when tirelessly it listens, comforts, and heals, it becomes what it is at its most luminous: the crystal-clear reflection of a communion." --Brother Roger of Taize

Desmond Tutu's latest op-ed

http://nyti.ms/aAXtFQ


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The great Jamie Cullum

Sarah and I are headed to see Jamie Cullum at the Lakewood Theater tonight! I have been looking forward to this night for a long time, ever since the last time I saw him at Stubbs in Austin, several years ago. He is an incredible musician who puts on a great show. If you aren't familiar with him, check him out!

www.jamiecullum.com


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Ortiz and Cliff Lee

Ahhh...it finally feels like a real summer! I've been very fortunate to have been on the road working these last five July's and I'm always gone during the All Star game. This year, I'm only out one weekend in July and I've been able to indulge myself by watching this year's Home Run Derby and now the All Star Game! Finally, I feel like I am having a real summer!
It was such a joy to watch David Ortiz hit last night: I have always been a big fan, even with the steroid accusations. To see him stand up and dominate like that was amazing!
And Cliff Lee is a Texas Ranger?!?! What a summer indeed!


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There Will Be a Witness!

Hello! I hope this post finds you well! In the off chance anyone still looks at this blog, I've decide to post a link to a sermon I preached this past Sunday, July 11th, at my home church, Custer Road UMC in Plano, Texas.
Grace and peace,
Joe
http://tinyurl.com/22lm7nl

Summer Greeting!

Grace and peace to you, friends! I hope this post finds you well. Currently, I am preparing to be travel to Music and Worship Arts Week at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. One day, I hope to be able to take a group from AUMC to this tremendous place. Lake Junaluska is a United Methodist Retreat and Conference Center in the Great Smokey Mountains and it is truly stunning! For me, “Lake J” is a thin place: a geographic location where I connect with God quickly.

The ancient Celts called these places where God seemed to be more readily available “thin places.” No one really knows why such places exist. I know I actively look forward to being in a thin place. I anticipate the chance to be in God’s presence in a way that is different from my day-to-day routines. I look long for the chance to pay extra attention to God and to continue to be attentive to Jesus! Do you long for that as well?

Where are the thin places in your life?

I hope that, in the midst of this busy summer season that you will be able to take some time to nurture your relationship with Jesus, to be attentive to him, to listen to what he might be saying to you, and to luxuriate in your relationship with him!

There were patterns in Jesus’ life that we need to appropriate for our lives. Often, Jesus would engage in some prophetic action, some deep engagement with the people and then he would retreat for time with his Father to pray and to renew. We must do this in our own lives as well. Life is too short to live any other way.

Dear friends, take some time this summer to renew your relationship with God! I look forward to worshipping with you this summer and to gearing up for an incredible fall!

Grace and peace,

Joe

Been taking a break

Hello there!
So, I have been taking a break from blogging, tweeting, facebook, etc. for a while now. To be honest, I haven't missed it all that much!!! The only thing I have missed has been connecting with folks I do not normally see on a frequent basis. I am not sure if I am going to pick up the activity or not just yet. We will see! God bless you!


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Location:I-35 in Lewisville, TX

A thought for Holy Week

This morning, as I was praying the morning office, I came across the following line which arrested my attention: God whose word can never be broken.
God whose word can never be broken.
God's word of love, justice, forgiveness, mercy, and grace can NEVER be broken! Despite what the powers and principalities can throw at God, God's word can never be broken. We may not see it in our own lifetime but in the end love wins!
Amen and amen!

Prayers appreciated this weekend!

At dfw getting on the plane to go speak at The Crossing conference in South Dakota! Crazy excited!


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Location:Unnamed Rd,Irving,United States

Who are Your Most Influential Theologians?

Grace and peace to you!
At lunch with a good friend the other day I posed the following question: if you could only pick five theologians who most influenced your thinking, who would they be? His answers were fascinating and have spurned me to reading in some new directions! I'm curious, who are your top-five theologians? They don't have to be academy trained folks, novelists, film-makers, family members, etc. are all great choices!
Without giving it a great amount of thought my first list would have to include (in no particular order with a few groupings):
1. The Wesley's
2. Desmond Tutu
3. Marcus Borg
4. Gutierrez and Cone
5. Three of my professors at Perkins: Michel Hawn, Mark Stamm, and Theodore Walker.

Who has most influenced how you talk and think about God?

I'm alive!

I have no idea how long it's been since I've posted. Sorry it's been so long. Life has been crazy full lately, as I am sure it has been for you.
I was supposed to be in route to a rehearsal at the moment but the reheasal has been canceled, so there's time for a quick update and time to hang with the family!
Of late I have been rereading a lot of Desmond Tutu's writings as means of preparing for an event with the youth of the Dakotas Annual Conference. Father Tutu is the man! He inspires me towards that great Wesleyan ideal of personal and social holiness! His theogy, especially the African concept of ubuntu has been one of the central tenants of my theology since I first encountered it in the late 1990's.
Well, there is still a foot of snow on the ground, which is incredible to see in Texas, and it's time to play some UNO with Ellie!
Grace and peace!

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Location:Redwood Dr,Corinth,United States

The lone, wild goose

My Lord, what a week it's been. Without getting too far into the details of the week, the last seven days have been over-the-top stressful. I have been asking some tough questions of late and am not satisfied with the answers I have been coming up with!
Tonight, however, I'm reading dcom and p&q papers for friends of mine out on my porch. The weather is crisp and cool and the papers are good! My soul feels like it's getting a bit of a rest from the chaos of the last seven days.
While I'm not a big believer in "signs" per se, I just recieved one, I think. It's 10:12 pm and the moon is shining brightly. Out of no where a few moments ago I heard the rustiling of feathers and then I heard the honking of a solitary Canadian goose. In Scotland, the wild goose is considered a symbol for unpredictable and, at times, disruptive nature of the Holy Spirit. I feel encouraged! Perhaps the Spirit is doing a new thing in the midst of a bit of chaos!


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Location:Redwood Dr,Corinth,United States

Martin Luther King Day, 2010

Another MLK day has come and I wonder what his ministry would look like if he were still with us today? What fruits would have been harvested from the Poor People's Campaign? What of his work opposing Vietnam? Because of hate, we will never know.
I started a book yesterday that I've been meaning to read for years: "Bonhoeffer and King: Speaking Truth to Power" by J. Deotis Roberts. Currently, I am reading about the impact of early adulthood impacted their respective ministries. I wonder what paths they would have taken in this day and age?


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Location:Corinth, TX

Apologies for the Twiiter Issue

Hi friends!
I hope all is well! I'm sorry for the twitter posts that appeared on the blog recently. For some reason, the updates were not coming from my twitter account but rather from other accounts. My apologies for the language that appeared!
Grace and peace,
joe