Tag Archives: fairfax

REPOST: God’s Love Poured Into Our Hearts, Overflowing Into the World

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 This post is from 2013… May it help you as you consider; life, death, despair, mental illness, hopelessness and those you love.Suicide-Prevention-Hotline

   Yesterday was Memorial Day in our nation, a day to remember those who gave their lives for the cause of freedom and to ensure our safety.  Over the weekend a few of the news programs did stories about the struggles of veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the high number of suicides.  The accounts of hopeless struggles that many silently go through were heart breaking.  Beyond those who have served our nation in the military, this week I had a pastoral colleague who was preparing for a memorial service for someone who committed suicide.  He sorrowfully expressed that this was the fifth such service he had led. Continue reading →

Further Conversations on the Rowboat and Sailboat Church

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It is hard to write blog post that both fully expresses your thoughts while also being short enough that people read them.  Yesterday’s post Setting Sail “Is the Church a Rowboat or Sailboat?” has sparked some pretty good conversation.  As such I thought I would follow it up today with a bit more about what Joan S. Gray says in her book, “Spiritual Leadership for Church Officers: A Handbook,” says are the differences between Rowboat Churches and Sailboat Churches.  One part of this is expressed by the images below.  When I read her descriptions of the two I am more apt to think of the rowboat church as a galley ship rather than a dinghy.  That makes the oarsmen slaves not a crew.  More than once I have felt that the Church (Universal) has treated people in this way.

I think that at the heart of it all is where the starting point for our ministry and life is found.  She reminds us that we need to be dependent on the power and will of God.  Like it or not, many times the Church (Universal) has often thought of itself as the master of the mission of the church. Rather than seeking to discern, follow and work towards the “Missio Dei” or the Mission of God. Continue reading →

World Communion Sunday

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World Communion 2013

I want to personally invite you to a special worship service on October 2nd at 11 am. We will celebrate the love God has shown us in our diversity. A highlight of our service will be a special musical offering in Korean by our neighbor church Light Global Mission Church. Everyone is encouraged to dress in clothes that are native to your country of origin. The service will be immediately followed by an international pot-luck. Bring a dish to pass that reflects your heritage.World Communion Sunday 2

 

The Lord’s Prayer In Motion

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Today during out chapel time with our preschoolers I tried a new way of offering the Lord’s Prayer.  With a resource from the Anabaptist Disabilities Network we offered the Lord’s Prayer with motion.  It will take a few times to get the motion and flow right but I think it was an exciting way to interact with the Lord’s Prayer for children and adults alike. (This was originally created by Helen Eickmann and Paul Bosh in 1974 and I adapted it to our specific setting.)

Click the image below to download the PDF VersionLords Prayer in Motion IconSlide2 Continue reading →

Coffee… A Gateway To Fellowship and the Soul

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coffee fellowship

Hospitality is a word that we often talk about at Christ Presbyterian Church.  A few years ago we studied Robert Schnase’s book, “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.”  As one of the practices, Schnase advocated for congregations to observe radical hospitality.

“Congregations that practice Radical Hospitality demonstrate an active desire to invite, welcome, receive, and care for those who are strangers so that they find a spiritual home and discover for themselves the unending richness of life in Christ. Radical describes that which is drastically different from ordinary practices, outside the normal, that which exceeds expectations and goes the second mile.”

At Christ Presbyterian Church we take great delight in being a congregation that welcomes the stranger.  We have worked consistently to develop patterns of being that make that welcome part of our congregational DNA.  Yet, as with every aspect of our life, we can do better. Continue reading →

Worship Announcements are Worship and Testimony

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tired family'     Every week at the beginning of our worship services at Christ Presbyterian I am called upon to share announcements and highlight activities. While we have an extensive bulletin with a great deal of information and details, it still is expected that I will highlight them. When I first arrived at Christ Presbyterian, we actually passed the microphone to do this. It often took a great deal of time, so we decided that we would only announce a few items that either were impending or missed the bulletin.

Soon announcements were turned into prayers so they could be said during prayer time. I guess there are worse things to have happen than the ministries of the church being the subject of prayers. Yet, it also seems a bit strange. This wouldn’t be a problem if we were a sleepy church that didn’t do much. But we are a vital church with dynamic ministries. Perhaps you have noticed recently that I have made more announcements from the pulpit than I normally have chosen to. Part of this is because we have a lot going on. The other part of it is that it is difficult to choose what needs highlighting and what doesn’t. Inevitably someone is upset if you highlight one thing and not the other. Continue reading →

Prayers for Jesus to Calm the Storms That Remain After Disaster

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Jesus calms the storm      Jesus Calms the Storm was the title of today’s Preschool Chapel Time. I selected that story early yesterday prior to the destructive storms that struck Oklahoma. Today I had planned to write an article on membership. It was going to be a well-thought-out theological work that talked of commitment and testimony. Then I turned on the news and was inundated with the horror of lost life and property. I have to say that when talk of third graders losing their lives began, chills and tears were the only reaction my body I could muster. The thought of sending Colin to school, and something like this happening immediately bought up a visceral response. Continue reading →

Unity in the Holy Spirit and the Pentecost experience

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Each year as Pentecost rolls around on the church calendar I try to ensure that we do our best in worship to embrace the day.  The account of the coming of the Holy Spirit to the church is a powerful story about how the Spirit worked in the past as well as today.  In more docile traditions of Christianity, of which Presbyterians are part of, the Holy Spirit has not always been given the attention it deserves.

For many the Holy Spirit may even be something that they have a fear of.  One popular conception of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is the “Holy Roller” on the ground, shaking with convulsions, having been seized by the Holy Spirit.  Even a peripheral experience of this type of experience can strike fear into the most firm of a believer.  Fear also comes from the fact that when we read Scripture, we  continually read of Holy Spirit experiences that cause trouble for the one interacting with the Spirit.  People who are in the midst of a Holy Spirit experience have their lives changed and often are given a new mission from God. Continue reading →

The Not So Low Sunday

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easter season banner    The Sunday following Easter is traditionally known as Low Sunday.  This name has theological origins and is used to illustrate the contrast with Easter Sunday.  While there may be these theological and liturgical reasons for the name, history also shows that it is a good summary of attendance.  Frequently, the Sunday that follows Easter is one of the lowest attended Sundays.  This low is highlighted by the stark juxtaposition to  the often swelled crowds of Easter Sunday. 

    For Christ Presbyterian Church I believe we bucked the Low Sunday trend.  This Low Sunday was anything but low for our congregation.  Our congregational meeting and Worship were not only well attended, but also rife with the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection. Continue reading →