July 15, 2008 — 8:20 PM

Presbyterians get a shout out on NPR

Today on my way home from work I was listening to the afternoon offering on NPR of the program "All Things Considered." For the year or so that I was not a regular commuter I really missed having my daily dose of "Morning Edition" and "ATC." Since my commute is only 35-45 minutes long, I never get to hear the whole program. That's okay with me. I still get to enjoy hearing the top headlines and a few in-depth stories.

One of the main stories that I got to listen to today was about the role that the National Guard continues to play in New Orleans. The NOPD continues to struggle with handling the demands of areas that are still only partially inhabited and thus more susceptible to crime. This is where the Guard come in very handy.

As the story progressed, the reporter talked with one woman who gave all the credit for her being able to move back to New Orleans to two groups - the Presbyterian volunteer workers and the National Guard. In that order.

It was so nice to hear nice words about how members of my larger church have had an impact on the world. So often the news media focus on our in-fighting and possible splits.

Go Presbyterians!

Comments | post a comment | permalink

July 13, 2008 — 4:59 PM

Well now, that was fun!

Today I had the opportunity to preach at Mission Bay Community Church. The last time I preached there was Palm Sunday and I was left feeling weird about my efforts. I had tried to preach more in the dialogue style that Bruce is so good at and wasn't completely happy with how it went.

So going into today I wasn't sure what to think. I incorporated many opportunities for interaction into the sermon and hoped that at least one of them sparked some interest in the people gathered. And, success!

Many different people chimed in on lots of my questions. And I believe the sermon was greatly improved because of it. We Presbyterians like to say often that we believe that we can discern God's will better in community. We use this as a foundation for how we govern ourselves, but rarely does it transfer to how we listen for God speaking to us in worship.

Thank you MBCCers for a great discussion this morning. I look forward to many more with you all.

Comments | post a comment | permalink