Just Arrived

The new We Believe! curriculum has just arrived. Stop in to check out all the new changes to this popular curriculum.

Fall Book Study Option

If you are looking for a book to use for a fall book study (or just something to renew your spirit), here is my recommendation. Barbara Brown Taylor's latest book, An Altar in the World, is excellent. In it she shares 12 religious practices that are meaningful to her. Hers is not an otherworldly or monastic spirituality. Some of the practices she addresses included groundedness, Sabbath, and physical labor. As always, her prose is a joy to read. But what really grabbed me were her insights into life with God that made me put the book down to figure out how to incorporate them into my life. Highly recommended.

The Misunderstood Jew

I was on vacation last week and took along Amy-Jill Levine's The Misunderstood Jew. Levine is a Jewish New Testament scholar who teaches at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Because she is Jewish, she brings a different perspective to New Testament scholarship. Because of her background in rabbinical sources, she illuminates the Jewish context of Jesus' life and teachings. She also educates her Christian readers on interpretations of the text that are anti-Jewish. This is a fun and interesting read. I highly recommend it.

The Story of Stuff

Where does the stuff we buy come from? What happens to it when we're finished with it? This entertaining video addresses our extraction-production-consumption economy and why this process is not sustainable. I found out about it from this New York Times article. Showing this video would be a good way to talk to all groups (especially young ones) about consumption (where our treasure is) and creation care.

From the website:

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Free VBS Curriculum

We have an extra copy of Camp EDGE, Cokesbury's 2009 VBS curriculum. I will give it to the first church in the presbytery of Carlisle that emails me requesting it.

Clergy Under 40 Conference at Montreat

If you are a PC(USA) clergy person under the age of 40, you are younger than the average Presbyterian in your church; you are online, energized, underpaid, frustrated, prophetic, misunderstood, innovative, post-modern, disillusioned, hopeful, all of the above....and perfect for this conference.

Connect with a community of young clergy for spiritual renewal, mutual encouragement, relevant workshops, and worship you don't have to lead.

Bruce will be there. Montreat June 8-11. For more info on alt7 2009, click here.


alt7 2009 from Montreat on Vimeo.

New NOOMA!

Many of us spend our lives striving for newer and better things, but have ceased to be grateful for our good gifts. Rob makes the point that it is in sharing with others that we actually receive what we seek through the acquisition of more stuff. Click here to watch a preview.

Spirituality and Fund-Raising

Spirituality and fund-raising. When I saw these two terms in the same phrase, I truly thought I had seen it all. Give credit to Henri Nouwen for making me a believer that they are not mutually exclusive. In a small booklet titled "The Spirituality of Fund-raising," Nouwen shares some powerful insights into fundraising. Some nuggests of wisdom include: Fundraising is a form of ministry in which we announce a vision and invite others into our mission, we need to ask our donors to participate in our vision and not just write us a check, we need to confront our fears of asking for money, and his invitation to explore whether our security is found in God or money. This is a truly powerful and insightful piece of writing. Make a note to read this before your next Stewardship campaign.

On Shelves Now: Calvin DVD

The Calvin DVD produced by Witherspoon Press to commemorate the 500th birthday of the great reformer has arrived. John Calvin: His Life and Legacy is an excellent introduction to the great Reformed theologian and pastor. Featuring excellent footage from Geneva and expert commentary from a variety of scholars such as Martin Marty, Brian Gerrish, and Richard Mouw, the hour long DVD contains chapters on Calvin's context, his views on God, the church, culture, and his legacy. I recommend viewing a chapter at a time in a Sunday School setting, followed by analysis and discussion, as a means of exploring Calvin's thought and continuing relevance. Study guides are available in the Extras section of the DVD. Watch a preview below.

Understanding Young Adults

Do you ever wonder how young adults approach religious faith today? If so, take a gander at my new article. It appears in the latest issue of Hungry Hearts: A Journal of Reformed Spirituality. Click here to read the article. What do you have to lose, it's only 2 pages long!