simply, Christian
"It's been a lovely cruise" -- Jimmy Buffett
new chapter, new blog
This blog has existed in one form or another for almost EIGHTEEN YEARS! That's basically forever in internet years, which pale in comparison to dog years.
I started, like about everyone, on Blogger, the moved to Wordpress, then hopped around to a couple of other hosts until happily settling at Silvrback for the last . . .
Posted in: life
True Faith Community Church...one year later
What a difference a year makes
(Note: this went out as a church-wide email, but I wanted to post it here also to those who aren't part of our seedling congregation but might be interested in God's work in Santa Fe)
In case you missed it, this past Sunday was the one-year anniversary of True Faith Community Church! As mentioned before, I think . . .
Posted in: tfcc
and now, something lighter
discernment in a single meme
Things have been heavy of late. It's time for something lighter around here. My lovely wife found this single image which sums up the discernment process pretty well. Enjoy!
"Eight Contrasts Between the Confessing and Compromising Church"
by Joseph Mattera
Note: the following article was recently written by Joseph Mattera, one of the leaders of the U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders, a Charismatic/Pentecostal reform movement. While I do not endorse or affirm all the beliefs of this movement, this article is a solid critique of the issues facing Christianity around the world as exemplified in . . .
Posted in: aldersgateumc
hey, Jude, don't let me down
thoughts on our present circumstances from the book of Jude
The little book of Jude probably isn't read very often and certainly isn't typically read as prophetic, but as I stumbled upon it the other night, I was stopped in my tracks in light of the current situation in the UMC. Reading through it was like reading a commentary on the recent decades, but especially the past couple months in our . . .
Posted in: aldersgateumc
a prayer for the week
I stumbled upon the following prayer today. It is from the Gelasian Sacramentary, which is the second oldest liturgical book known in the Western church, dating back to the 8th century. I thought it too good not to share given the struggles and strivings which many are enduring these days, especially in our local parish. As I read . . .
don't change denominations to find the perfect church
the grass may be greener, but every pasture has cow pies
If you've stayed this long, you deserve a shorter and more light-hearted post. Well, this is it. My short plea here is for all those thinking about disaffiliation to take off your rose-colored glasses, check your Pollyanna attitudes, and be realistic about one thing.
Just like there are no perfect local congregations, there are . . .
Posted in: aldersgateumc