June 2013

  • Not much to say

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    I am preparing to go have the procedure for which I have been preparing the last 24 hours. I have to say that of all the things on my mind, one shouts out the loudest: I can’t wait for dinner tonight.

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  • Do I have to fast the whole day?

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    As Christian disciplines go, I am better at some than others. There is one, however, with which I am an abysmal failure. I don’t fast well. I can deny myself things. I can deny myself foods and drinks and favorites. I just can’t not eat. I need something. My blood sugar gets low, I get…

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  • The scandalous character of ministry

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    The Lectionary did us no favors by jumping into Luke at chapter 7, skipping what I think are the two most important chapters in the whole gospel in 5 and 6. Smack in between the calling of disciples and the Sermon on the Plain is one of my favorite moments of Jesus’s. It is striking…

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  • Being Shown What To Do

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    a homily for Proper 5C Text: Luke 7:11-17 Listen to “Being Shown What To Do” here and read along Getting Focused On Wednesday night (at Basics), we talked about ministry. What it is, who does it, and why it matters. The Book of Common Prayer describes it as the work of the laity, bishops, priests,…

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  • Conan’s Inspiring Sendoff

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    I like Conan O’Brien. Certainly much more than Leno. And to be truly honest, Jimmy Fallon’s is the only “late show” I watch now. But these words, this send off to Conan’s last Tonight Show are prophetic. You should watch this. And if you have, then watch it again, because you need to hear them again.

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  • I Can Label Myself, Thanks.

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    Some people don’t like labels. It’s common among members of my generation to reject them. However, it seem that when people say this, they are really trying to say that they don’t like being labeled by others. Or perhaps the problem isn’t the label, but the box in which we put those people we label.…

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  • A Powerful Faith

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    a homily for Proper 4C Text: Luke 7:1-10 [Listen to “A Powerful Faith” here while you read along.] Making it personal Man, that Centurion looks good, doesn’t he? Generous? Check. Compassionate? Check. Faithful? Double-check. That guy sure looks good in the end, doesn’t he? The basics of the story are these: Jesus strolls into Capernaum.…

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