Make great websites for cheap! (church websites, part 2)
All it takes to have a great website for your church is the will to do it. If you have that, you can find a way. It might involve a little money, or a few contacts with experts…
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Thirteen Commandments for your website (church websites, part 1)
I want us to put our best face forward, literally for the sake of the Gospel. My hope is to kindle a conversation and spur action that might help even a few congregations have better websites.
Looking toward General Convention 2018
I do believe Jesus is present in our legislative deliberations. Maybe he’s rolling his eyes sometimes, but plenty of holy stuff happens as we debate important issues and even when we go down parliamentary rabbit holes.
No saints of the status quo
Back in my parish priest days, I would occasionally say in sermons or classes, “There are no saints of the status quo.” What I meant by that is that nearly all the people we remember and commemorate as saints are people who, in some way, rocked the boat.
Charles, king and martyr, pray for us
Charles was martyred so that Anglican Christians would still have bishops (and the whole three-fold ministry). In other words, this martyr valued the Gospel and the church more than his own life. He is a witness for us. That is what a martyr is, after all.
What is your testimony? A sermon for difficult times
The truth is, scriptures like these were not written for comfortable people. They were not written by comfortable people. These scriptures have nothing whatsoever to do with comfort. This week, we can’t look away. And we shouldn’t look away from the message of grace and mercy that the Gospel has for us.
Praying faithfully
I realized I had never posted much about the last book I wrote with the Rev’d Melody Shobe, Faithful Questions: Exploring the Way with Jesus. So here is a sample chapter on prayer.
Are we praying wrong?
A 2014 survey shows that we Americans are not praying the way Jesus taught us to pray. Instead, we mostly pray for ourselves and our own personal needs. But that’s not how Jesus taught us to pray.
Taking note–George Herbert: 100 Poems
I was delighted when Cambridge University Press asked me if they could send along a review copy of George Herbert: 100 Poems. While an ebook is available, this is one to own in paper. Keep it at your bedside for morning or bedtime reading, or perhaps leave it at work for mental excursions into rural England during your breaks.
Where does the church belong?
Sometimes, I think we confuse the work of the church and the work of disciples. The church — literally, the ekklesia, the community — is found where Christians are gathered. The work of the church is to offer prayer and praise; to proclaim the Gospel; and to promote justice, peace, and love.
Holy Spirit and holy empathy
I’m interested in what I see as an inherent invitation to empathy in the way the vote results were made known. I’m also intrigued by some of the responses I saw to the final result.
You are my witnesses
I’d like to offer a few thoughts and reflections from my time at the recently concluded General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada.
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