One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to...
Why I Blog
posted by DJL
Last week a good friend and colleague asked me why I blog. It wasn’t a “what’s the point” kind of question but more of a “what keeps you going” query. He then pointed me to a great post along similar lines by Katya Andresen, host of “Katya’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog.” All of...
Luke 5:12-16
posted by DJL
Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean.”...
The Gift Outright
posted by DJL
Robert Frost was the first poet I really enjoyed while in school. That’s probably not surprising. Not being by nature inclined to poetry, I found that Frost’s lyricism – and his popularity – made him more accessible to me. So I, like many, many others, knew him through beloved poems...
Luke 5:8-11
posted by DJL
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then...
How Do We Know What’s Holding Us Back?
posted by DJL
Do you have three minutes? Then watch this video and afterward ask yourself a simple question. The video is about Tommy Carroll. Tommy’s a skateboarder. A good skateboarder. Which means he’s got great balance, and loves a little risk, and falls down from time to time, only to get back up and skate some more. In all these ways, Tommy’s not that unusual from a lot of other kids who love to skateboard. But though Tommy’s been skateboarding since he was ten, he’s been blind since he was two. Yeah. Tommy skateboards by sound. But while that makes him unusual, I’m still not sure that’s what sets him apart. Because I think what makes...
Luke 5:1-11
posted by DJL
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,...
Does Lent Still Matter?
posted by DJL
With Lent just two weeks around the corner, I’m curious how your congregation is observing it. How does the sanctuary change? Are there different pieces of art? Different paraments? Do you have a sermon series or theme for the season? Do you prepare and/or use Lenten devotions. Do you have Wednesday services in Lent? A soup supper? How are these attended? And what about education? Is there a special adult or youth education emphasis for Lent? Do you have an adult forum series or book study? From the earliest time of the church, Lent has been a time for instruction in the faith. In fact, the season began as a time for those who wished to...
Luke 4:42-44
posted by DJL
At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this...
The Three As of “Awesome”
posted by DJL
Neil Pasricha didn’t start out to create a killer-blog, he was just going through a really, really hard time and decided he either needed to look for some of the simple joys and pleasures of life or… well, he actually wasn’t sure what else he would do. And so he had a simple idea – notice the small delights of life and share them on a blog. And he executed it really well – these ideas are often quite simple and yet, perhaps for that reason, take you off guard. And it doesn’t hurt that his posts are written with care. 1000 Awesome Things became his project and blog. It received a couple of hits, and then a couple dozen, and then a...
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