One-offs:
Death by Committee. But that’s OK. God is sovereign, and if he deems it unworthy of life the means of death is irrelevant.
If you think “Glee” when you hear the name Kevin McHale you are too young and in serious need of re-education.
Gerta is dripping tranny oil from the left rear hub. This is not good.
The front tire never goes flat. It’s always the rear tire!
Elsewhere:
I shot six over on the back nine of the short course (par 60). The front nine is going into the category of “warm up.”
I now know not to play early on Tuesdays, which, it turns out, is Ladies Day here. I don’t know all that involves but I was told I had to stay at least one hole behind the group of ladies in front of me. What??? “If you don’t they’ll be yelling at you and calling me.”
Because that involved a brief nap at each tee I was joined by Sam, also playing by himself. We played together (slowly) from the fourth through the 18th hole. (The ladies only played the front.) Sam is able to insert more swear words than regular words into almost any sentence he speaks. The word prolific does not do him justice.
Thankfully, he did not ask me what I do for a living. Wouldn’t that have been awkward!
I started that book on the Constitution last night. Did you know they argued about the phrase, “We the people”? Some of them thought it should be “We the states.” They viewed the individual voters as assigning all their rights and powers to their state, and the state as the one who represented them before the federal govt. One implication, I’m assuming, would have been that national govt. offices would have been filled by those elected to state office. Who knew?
Check out this web site
If it was my home
Assuming their graphic starts out correct (it seems to be from NOAA) it does provide a powerful perspective.
Al showed no interest in breakfast and hasn’t moved much at all today. Hmmmm.
I worked on my sermon calendar this afternoon, charting my messages for the next several months. I mentioned at an elder meeting some time ago that I normally have things at least sketched out for 3-4 months in advance, and one of the guys asked how that allows for the work of the Holy Spirit. That is, if I decide now what I’m going to preach in early September how can I be sensitive to the leading of the H.S. re. what the flock needs to eat?
Fair question.
The other end of that spectrum would be waiting until 7 a.m. Sunday morning for the Spirit’s timely guidance. (I know a pastor who did something very near that on a regular basis.)
Planning my preaching allows me to provide a balanced diet (I’m forced to look at the big picture, the forest and not just the trees). And it frees up time for adequate study, because I don’t waste time thinking, “What am I going to preach this week??” That’s especially important when things get hectic or the stomach flu strikes.
If the Holy Spirit can lead on Sunday mornings he can lead on Saturday night, or the week before or the month before. That is, planning my preaching, whether a week, a month or six months in advance, should be done with prayer, seeking God’s guidance through the process. And if my calendar looks out several months, I prepare it with the understanding that it is not holy writ. I must stay open to God’s guidance through specific circumstances - whether on the national scene (9/11) or congregational level (unexpected death in the Body).
So...are prayers written out in advance of a service and then read at the service appropriate or inappropriate?
3 comments:
Personally, I think prayers written for the purpose of the author readingbthem out loud are inappropriate, regardless of when they're authored. Prayer is a conversation and a time for expression and, more importantly, listening and meditation. I don't write out conversations I'm going to have with relatives or friends. Oh, I may have some notes so I can remember topics I want to address, but I don't write it out and read it.
It seems that those sorts of concerns regarding the "leading of the Holy Spirit" are a projection of human limitations onto an infinite God.
Mike H.
I remember, when Sue & I took Homiletics (for *fun*, of course), we had to do a three YEAR plan. I'm thinking three months would have sufficed.
You feed a flock. I feed a family. I plan our meals ahead of time--usually for a week. I appreciate being prepared...having the ingredients I need to provide well-balanced meals for my family. I may switch things around in my plan, or we might decide to go out for a meal instead. It's flexible.
When you plan out your messages, it allows you to be prepared. You have your ingredients (Greek/Hebrew meanings of words, cultural information, parallel passages, etc.) ready so you can provide your family with a well-balanced (doctrine & practical application, for example) meal. Of course, you can always switch things around.
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