A Lenten Devotion from Rev. Laurie Haller

One of the best resources I've come across in my pursuit to design creative, deep, meaningful worship is The Fellowship of United Methodist's in Music and Worship Arts. Every week they send out a devotion via email. If you would like to subscribe please let me know and I will hook you up! Here's one to help facilitate your devotional practice this week from Rev. Laurie Haller. The Lenten Journey A series of devotions for Lent 2012  Journey 6 2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory...” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV) Every step of a peregrination (a wandering journey in the Celtic tradition) is a cause for our hearts to burn with wonder and awe. Traveling hopefully is often a better thing than to arrive. (Robert Louis Stevenson) You are God’s feet, wandering the earth in search of transformation and new life. Where are your places of resurrection? The highest mountain? The lake? Ground Zero? The homeless shelter? The communion table? The hospital bed? The angel you meet on the road? May you always find God there. It has been a blessing to wander with you this Lent. Godspeed on the peregrinatio, and don’t forget your backpack! Prayer “O Lord Jesus Christ, yourself the way, the truth, and the life, grant to us who shall tread in your earthly footsteps a sense of awe, wonder and holiness.” (Prayer from Iona) Rev. Laurie Haller Grand Rapids District Superintendent West Michigan Conference, UMC Grand Rapids, MI

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May you have a happy and blessed St. Patrick's Day. In some places in the world The Feast of Patrick allowed for a lifting of the Lenten Restrictions, so, if you are going that way today, feast and be careful out there! :)

Silence

I am currently reading the beautiful and haunting book, Silence, by the Japanese author, Endo. My good friend and colleague, Jackson Henry, has been on me to read it for about 10 years and, three chapters in, I am very thankful for his persistence. So far, the theological point that is capturing me the most is the idea that Christianity must be contextual. Seems obvious but it isn't. We have so much cultural baggage that we carry that it seems to be very difficult to share the faith without sharing the baggage. Certainly this has been the case for Western missionaries for many years. I see great evidence, especially in the realm of Global Song, that this is changing. I thank God for the enrichment of the entire church when the faith is truly contextualized and then shared with the entirety of the church.

Check out Silence on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Silence-Shusaku-Endo/dp/0800871863/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331396213&sr=8-1 

A Love Supreme

A great friend recently asked me for a few music recommendations to take with him on a writing retreat. I didn't recommend this album (A Love Supreme) because it requires total focus. If you don't know this seminal album by John Coltrane, run, don't walk, a get a copy! It is Coltrane's great prayer. My father just have me this copy and I am so stoked to have it. What a great gift!

Updated Link to St. Paul's Sermon

Early last month I had the wonderful opportunity to preach at St. Paul's UMC in Allison Park, PA. Below you will find a link to an audio recording of the sermon.

http://www.stpaulsumc.com/wp-content/uploads/sermons/02-05-12/Pray%20and%20Go%20-%20Stobaugh.mp3