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
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
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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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!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:I-35 in Lewisville, TX
Monday, March 29, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, March 5, 2010
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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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Unnamed Rd,Irving,United States
Monday, February 22, 2010
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?
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?
Saturday, February 13, 2010
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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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
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Redwood Dr,Corinth,United States
Monday, January 18, 2010
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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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?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Corinth, TX
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
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