iHOPE

The Sky is Falling! Nope, Just the Roof

The next four weeks are going to be a little more hectic than usual at New Hope. When you come, you'll likely see folks on theroof as they strip off the old and put on new shingles.

It is all part of the repairs needed from the hail damage earlier in the summer.Depending on the day and time, it may be noisy for our groups that are meeting. Special consideration will be given when there is a funeral or memorial service and of course, there won't be any work done on Sundays.  Estimates are that this project will take about four weeks. That's a lot of roof!

Battling Over the Bible

The Bible is the most read, most cherished book of all time.  It is also the source of great argument and division. For some, it is the meeting place with God. For others, it is the obstacle.  “Conflict about the Bible is the single most divisive issue among Christians in North America today” says Marcus Borg, and it would be hard to argue with him. Is there a way forward?  Is there a way we can stop battling about the Bible and truly read it? 

I'm continuing our series, "Losing My Religion...Discovering God" and this Sunday I am addressing the use and abuse of the Bible.

If there is one issue that stands out above all others when it comes to people becoming disenchanted with religion, faith and God, it is the Bible:  how it is used and abused. How is it tha the same Bible that inspires love, promotes justice and calls out the best in people, can also inspire hate, justify oppression and bring out the worst in people, too?

More to the point, how can we read, and know we are readiong, the Bible well?

See you Sunday.

What's In A Name? Apparently, A Lot!

Couldn't resist sharing this. The author collects and shares some of the more humorous names people have given their churches.

 

Boring Seventh Day Adventist?

Original Church of God:  No. 2?

First United Seperated Baptist?

James Bond United Community Church?

What is amazing to me is that people actually thought about this before giving these names to their church. Yikes! I was pretty happy with the name New Hope before seeing this. Now I am just plain grateful!

Check it out the rest of the article  here.

Is Science or Religion, the Problem?

There are some big questions that everyone asks at one time or another:

Does God exist?
Is there life after death or do we just extinguish when we die?
Is the universe an accident, or was it created with a reason?
If there is a God, why do my prayers go unanswered?
Can the Bible be trusted when it comes to the Big Questions?
Does Faith make sense, or do we need it now that science is filling in more and more of the gaps in our knowledge?

  Granted, these are not the questions that some feel they can ask in Church. Too many times, the Church has seemed to favor only affirmations of the 'right answer' and frowned on doubt or tough questions.

The Strain of the Minute

Between the 11th anniversary of 9/11, the tragedy in Libya, the chaos in the Middle East and the prayer concerns of those close to home, this quote came to mind:

"God never gives strength for tomorrow or for the next hour,

but only for the strain of the minute."

This is from the treasure chest of wisdom contained in Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest.  Too many times someone tries to sell us the nonsense that if we are close to God, we will be free of problems or stress. How much more true that it is not the lack of problems that is the mark of a person in tune with God, but the presence of God experienced in the midst of them.

So, where is the 'strain of the minute' in your life?

An Empty Shell

Every once in awhile, I drive by an  abandoned church. It is a sorry sight.

A place that used to be vibrant, full of hope and faith is just an empty shell.  The outside is still there, but there is nothing inside.

I am starting a new series this Sunday called, "Losing My Religion" and I want to start with this image.  For more and more people, the empty shell of a church is a pretty good description of religion. It used to house a faith that was vital. It used to be a meeting place between them and God. But now, religion has become like an deserted church- an empty shell.

So is this a result of people that have turned their back on God?  Sometimes. In truth, some people just get bored, or hurt. Sometimes, the reason people lose their religion is because religion isn't big enough for the biq questions and the big issues of the real world, any more. The form of religion no longer is up to the function of religion- to connect people with God in meaningful ways. In that case, losing your religion may be the healthiest thing you can do in order to rediscover God.

That is why I am excited about this new series. I hope you'll be there.

After You Believe

Many Christians have so emphasized the need for conversion, for the opening act of faith and commitment, for the initial statement of that faith (“believing that Jesus died for me” or whatever), that they have a big gap in their vision of what being a Christian is all about.

N.T. Wright

Do you know what Christianity is all about?  Most people in church get the first part- belief in Jesus as their savior. But then what?  What happens after you believe?

New Pastors' Class for Fall

That is the subject of the new Pastors’ Class that begins in October. We will be using N.T. Wright’s book, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters (available at New Hope for $11).  This year, I will we will offer this class at three separate times:

Wednesday Nights: 6:45-8:00 pm

Thursday Mornings: 9:15- 10:30 am

Sunday Mornings: 9:00- 10:00 am

I’ll be teaching the Wednesday and Thursday classes. Erik will lead the Sunday morning classes.  Each class will cover the same material, so people can choose which time(s) will work best for them. The class starts in October and finishes in December.

There Must Be More

Believing in Christ is a crucial step. But it is only the first one. God has so much more in mind for you.  Somehow, we know that.  We sense that there is more we are supposed to be- and become. We just don’t know how to make sense of those feelings.This is how Wright says it:

The dreams we have that refuse to die—dreams of freedom and beauty, of order and love, dreams that we can make a real difference in the world—come into their own when we put them within a framework of belief in a God who made the world and is going to sort it out once and for all, and wants to involve human beings in that process.

 

Sound interesting?  Books are available now and classes start October 10, 11 & 14!

Losing My Religion...rediscovering God

Note:  This is the text of a letter I sent to the New Hope family. It concerns a new sermon series- and so much more.

 

All sorts of people- even mature, faithful Christians- are finding conventional religion increasingly less satisfying,are attending church less regularly, and are longing for new expressions of spiritual community.

Diana Butler-Bass, Christianity After Religion

 

 

Dear friends,

    On September 16^th, I am beginning a sermon series that may be the most important subject I have addressed in years- and I want you to be there. The series is titled, Losing My Religion…rediscovering God, and it is in response to a trend that has defined my entire adult faith- and yours, too.

   More and more people (perhaps you are one of them?) speak of themselves as, “spiritual, but not religious”. The number of people who identify themselves as having “no religious affiliation” has more than doubled in the past decade, while the number of people who identify themselves as “Christian” has dropped dramatically. Many more people talk about believing in God, but don’t find church a meaningful way to connect with God. Some have left altogether because church even hinders their connection to God more than it helps.

   So what is going on?  Is this a sign of a generation that is turning its back on God- or is it part of a movement of the Holy Spirit, calling people to a deeper and more profound connection with God?    That is what I want to explore in this series. It may change the way you experience God, see the church and live your faith.

   It is a four-week series and it will address subjects like:

•  How can ‘losing my religion’ be a good thing?
• Does believing in God mean I have to distrust science?
• How can I trust the Bible and how do I read it without having to fight about it?
• What good is religion, anyway?

 If you haven’t been to church in a while, I especially want to invite you to this series. I suspect that the reason you have found church less compelling has less to do with being “too busy” and more to do with some deep dissatisfaction with the church- and maybe with God.  I want to address those things.

 If you have been attending and participating regularly, by all means come- and invite a friend who hasn’t been to church to come with you. If you are part of a LIFE Group, I will have discussion materials available for you to use that should spark some great and meaningful conversations.

Losing My Religion, is a series that I have been thinking about for a long time. At its core, I think we (the whole church) have been focusing on the wrong things, arguing about the wrong things, and worrying about the wrong things. In the process, we are missing God.  I want to tackle that with you.  It begins September 16^th and I hope you’ll be there. 

When Going Faster & Doing More Might Not Be the Answer

Some thoughts for Labor Day from T.S. Elliot. This was written before TV, computers, internet, smart phones and Google!

The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness,
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.
All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,
All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,
But nearness to death, no nearer to God.
Where is the life we have lost in the living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in the knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries
Bring us farther from God and nearer to the Dust.

Used this as part of the sermon yesterday and thought it deserved a post.

Relief After Hurricane Isaac

Give. Act. Pray.

Those are the key responses for anyone wanting to help after a disaster, like Hurricane Isaac. You can find resources for all three of these responses at the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance web page.If you want to donate to help the victims, you can do so directly through a link on that page. We have learned it is the quickest, most effective way to connect folks who want to help with the places and people who need the help.