The Pulpiteer

I’ve been wanting to post a link to a couple of sermons by a seminary friend of mine from Pennsylvania, Seth McPherson (pictured here, right side up).  The first sermon is one from awhile ago that deals with beauty and thinking about beauty from a Christian perspective.  He interviews the beauty editor for Seventeen Magazine, and it’s a pretty interesting message.

The second message is from two weeks ago, and the neat thing is that we both preached from the same text in 2 Kings – Elijah going up in the whirlwind.  We emphasized two different things and it was neat to hear Seth after I had studied the passage myself.  So, here is the link to that sermon.

Enjoy.  And if you do, remember that we are both Asbury Seminary trained and approved.  Oh, and I should mention – Seth has some awesome tatoos, but I couldn’t find pictures of them on his website.  So send him email if you’re interested…

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This week we had a guest speaker at Carson City UMC – Tammy McDonald from “Saved by God’s Grace” ministries.  Tammy gave her testimony on how she and her husband, Chuck, were called into missionary work in Kenya to care for orphans and build a church.  Tammy’s testimony was amazing and it was striking to hear her humanity in the midst of God’s calling.  Tammy and Chuck had retirement dreams of building up a nest egg and traveling the country together.  They were not a couple who refrained from giving.  They were generous.  But God had more in mind for them, and that “more” involved Kenya.  Read more about the McDonald’s on their website here.
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This past Monday Michael Spencer passed away.  He was 53.  I never met him, but often read his blog and even more often listened to his podcasts.  It feels strange to be mourning for someone I never met, but I feel pretty sad about the whole thing.  The way he wrote connected with me, and with many others (as it turns out).  I browse some blogs – but not many at all anymore.  However, Michael’s was one I paid attention to.

I guess the thing that strikes me the most is the senselessness of the loss.  I have seen this too often.  He was young.  He had a family.  He was contributing in a meaningful way by teaching and being a chaplain for a Baptist School in the Appalachian Mountains that served as a missionary outpost as much as anything.  His ministry was far from over as far as being fruitful and effective.  His writings on the internet made his blog one of the top Christian blogs out there, and it constantly provided insight, honesty, grace, and encouragement for many Christians who were struggling with how to live out their faith in a crazy world.  A couple of times I had an email written to him that I deleted.  It would sound too silly, I thought.  He probably gets too many of these things, I told myself.  I had just wanted to tell him thank you and encourage him in what he was doing, but I didn’t.  And now I wish I would have.

Here is one of the pieces that Michael wrote that stands out most in my memory.

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I had someone ask me about a Bible reading plan recently, and I’m always pleased when I get that question, because it means someone is seriously trying to get into Scripture.  There are many Bible reading plans online that can meet all sorts of needs, but I’ll point out just a few and give some thoughts I have in regards to what I’ve learned about reading the Bible.

First, Bible Gateway has several reading plans.  They are going to have one during Lent – I think you can get it by email, or check it daily online.  Here is the link, which will begin to give you readings on Wednesday.  This plan is to read the gospels during the season of Lent, so that may be a helpful thing for you.

Second, here is a 30 reading plan that covers the life of Jesus.  I have not used this plan, but in glancing over it, I think it provides a good guide to read about Jesus for 30 days.  This may be another thing you find helpful for Lent.  You can check it out here.

Third, there are all sorts of reading through the bible in a year plans if you do a search.

Some advice:

• Many bible reading plans and great intentions get bogged down in Leviticus and Numbers. If you are reading through the Bible for the first time, it is wise to really get to know the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. If you read just one, I’d suggest John, but they will all work just fine.
• If you want to read some of the more difficult sections of scripture (I would include Leviticus, Numbers, etc, but also the prophets), here are some suggestions. Read through them with someone else. Develop a reading schedule with them and meet to discuss it weekly. Another suggestion is to find a reading plan that breaks the bible up into 4 readings, New Testament, Old Testament, Psalm, Gospel – that way you are reading different things at once and some of the more difficult books are being read alongside others that are easier reading.
• There is great value in choosing a particular section of scripture or book and reading that several times. We did this in studying Revelation. The book became more familiar in reading it often, and that allowed it to speak to us better. In seminary I spent a few months reading and rereading the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7). I would read and think about 1 chapter per day. I found that to be tremendously shaping for me as the words and concepts could really sink in.
• Try something, and if it doesn’t work try something else. Don’t give up. There is great value in reading scripture, so stick with it. It can be difficult, but that’s ok. You won’t understand everything. That’s ok. It’s difficult for me often. There are often things I don’t understand, especially at first. But that is where growth comes in.

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We were up late carving Jack-O-Lanterns on Friday night. Anne did the one on the left, and I did the other two.  We have fun with it.  Usually we watch a Halloween movie while carving and this year it was “Monster House,” which is a favorite of ours.  It’s an animated movie and if you haven’t checked it out you really need to.

Last year I wrote a series of posts that had some thoughts about Christians and Halloween.  I thought I would repost them again this year, so here is part 1, part 2, and part 3.  Also, there is an excellent piece about the history of Halloween in regards to its Christian celebration that is a must read for anyone curious about these things.    Also, I’ve added a few pictures to my flickr photostream, so if you want to see some October pics (mostly dealing with pumpkins) check it out.

Finally, we got a new book in the mail today from Amazon.com (which is always exciting). It’s called, “Goodnight Goon” and is a parody of “Goodnight Moon.” It’s hilarious, and Elijah has loved it. I’ll put a link below.

Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody
Price: USD 10.19

52 used & new available from USD 1.70

Monster House (Widescreen Edition)
Price: USD 8.99

162 used & new available from USD 1.79

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