iHOPE

Nominations, Please

Every summer, we do a series at New Hope that uses movies to raise questions and address some of the issues of the day. We call it, "Moving Pictures." We show clips of the movies in worship and build the service around the questions raised and the resources in our faith to address them.

Each year, we pick a theme and this year's theme is "Husbands & Wives". I want to address some of the more pressing questions and ever-present issues behind the meaning, obstacles and possibilities in marriage.  Rich and I (see the previous post) have about a dozen or so movies that we have been tossig around, but I thought it would be good to get a wider pool of nominations. we are both 'old guys' who have been married more than 35 years. That doesn't disqualify us on the subject, but it does tend to skew the movies we watch. We need some help. What are some of the best movies you have seen that address the complexities, heartaches and joys of marriage?

Getting the Big Picture

This week I am out of the office because I am working on sermons for the coming year.

It is an annual tradition. Every year after Easter, I grab some materials and meet up with my friend, Rich Gantenbein. He is the pastor at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Sonoma, CA. 

I have forgotten how many years we have done this together, but it has become part of the rhythm of my year- and my life.

I don't know if it is just coincidence that the sermon series I am preaching right now is "The Big Picture", but it is appropriate. Sermon planning week is one of the ways I use to step back and try to get the Big Picture for New Hope and the year ahead.The time we spend and the thoughts we share, help us get and keep, perspective.

How do you get the Big Picture in your life? It is one thing to talk about it, but it is another thing to have a way to step back, refocus and get the Big Picture.  Over the past 20+ years of sermon planning together, here are some things I have learned:

Planting Trees

From Sunday:

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”

-African Proverb

 

Think Big.  Start Small.  Act Now.

Transformation

 

'If we do not transform our pain,

we will most assuredly transmit it.'

 

Richard Rohr

 

A quote from last Sunday's Sermon, "Cross Examination"

This Should Be Interesting

Ever felt like this?

You start out thinking you don't need much in life to make you  happy. Just a few things, and that's it.

Then, maybe a few things more.

Before you know it, you have more stuff that you know what to do with. Your closets are full. Your basement, too. You have a three car garage- and there isn't enough room for your cars.  You have a storage unit. Maybe two. You're thinking about getting another- or larger, one.

You've got stuff. In fact, you sometimes wonder if you have your stuff- or if your stuff has you. At some point, you may even feel…like a jerk.

In This Place & Time...

  I started a new sermon series for January on Prayer. Its one of those things that everyone knows you should do (and do more) but the dirty little secret is many of us don't pray very much. When we do, we feel like failures. What can we do to make prayer more vital, and more real?

 

  On Sunday, I suggested that the first thing we need to do is 'unlearn' some things we though we knew about prayer and about being 'spiritual'.  Contrary to the way many of us have been taught to pray (bowed head, eyes closed, hands folded & world blocked out), the best way forward may be to raise your head, open your eyes, unclasp your hands and engage the world God has given us.  In short,  I believe we will pray better when we become less 'spiritual' and more 'physical'.

Prayer in Worship : "Help Me Believe in Beginnings"

We are doing a series on prayer in January ("In This Place & Time...") and one of the prayers used in worship on Sunday was, "Help Me Believe in Beginnings."

Its a wonderful prayer for a new year- or anytime you are feeling like there is a need for a new beginning.

 

God of history and of my heart, so much has happened to me during these whirlwind days:  
I've known death and birth;
I've been brave and scared;
I've hurt, I've helped;
I've been honest, I've lied;
I've destroyed, I've created;
I've been with people, I've been lonely;
I’ve been loyal, I've betrayed;
I've decided, I've waffled;
I've laughed and I've cried.

You know my frail heart and my frayed history - and now another day begins.

Prayer in Worship, by John Baillie

We're taking the month of January to learn about Prayer- prayer that connects to the real world, "in this place and time."  I used a couple different prayers in worship and will post them throughout the week.

The first is from John Baillie. Whenever I am asked about a resource for prayer, Baillie is one of my first recommendations. He was a Scot and noted theologian of the 20th century. At one point, he was elected as Moderator of the World Council of Churches. He several books on prayer, with Diary of Private Prayer as the most well-known. This was the book I took with me all during my sabbatical a couple years ago.  If you want to deepen your prayer life, you could do a lot worse than pray along with John Baillie as your guide.

Thank you, Tim Tebow!

Say what you will about Tim Tebow (and Lord knows there has been a lot said, lately!), no one has generated more conversation about prayer in a long time.

Some people are attracted and curious about his faith. Some are put off by it.

Everyone seems to be talking about.

The timing is perfect because throughout January, we'll be exploring the subject of prayer and how to start a new conversation with God.  Real prayer for the real world..."in this place and time." Praying on one knee will be optional.

We start this Sunday, January 1 (one service only, at 11:00- and don't worry, the game doesn't start until the afternoon!)

Paul Neshangwe is Coming!

Paul Neshangwe will be with us on Sunday as part of our "re-Discovering Grace" series.  The theme of the week (for those following along in our LIFE Group curriculum) is "Skin Deep" and it is about Grace and Racism. Anyone who knows Paul and his story will understand the connection here.

Paul is a dear friend personally and a good friend of New Hope. As always, we look forward to Paul and the message he will be bringing.

See you Sunday!