Church-Andor-Spirituality on pinakidion

Interesting Events in the Office

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Salvation Meme

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Here Am I

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Raleigh and Other Thoughts - UPDATED

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Is This the Lord's Work?

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Quote from Delphi

Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Like an Adult

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Letter to a Minister

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Survey

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Travelogue Interruption

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Af-Am History Communion

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Back to It

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Apologies to Dr. Seuss

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

California ElderLink

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Film Boycotting

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

For My Friends

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Child Dedication Ceremony

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

How to Have a Conference

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The AC Paradox

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

A Note about Communication

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Speaking of Letting Go

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000

After a Week Off

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Why I Cannot Raitfy

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The Hits Keep Coming

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000

New Translation of Psalms

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000

What's My Eschatology

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Yet More UPC

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000

I Need Grace

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Intelligent Design (Updated 6-22)

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Because The Question Will Be Asked

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000

If Everything Burned...

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Where It Is

Fri, 11 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000

From Where I Sit

Sun, 06 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Sacred Ground

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Building Community - Broad Scope

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Building Community

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Teach Week part Two

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Teach Week - Updated 3/30/2007

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Feeling Better

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000

My Barbaric YAUP

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Not Emerging, but Growing

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Ever Lived a Parable?

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

In Passing

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Middle Paths

Sat, 06 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Christmas Singing

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Baptism Post

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Flyer in My Door

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

November thus far

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Finding God in Discover

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Insular Cultures

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

More on Future Challenges

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

A Future Challenge

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Recurring Dream

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Parallel Universe

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

A Request

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Not to Myself

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Draft submitted to the Board

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

To the members of the Unity Committee:

Composing a list of concerns for an entire church, even a small one of barely 100, is a daunting task. The only consensus that can be suggested is an ambivalence to the proposal and a focus on local concerns. In asking various members about their thoughts, it became clear that there are members that have little concern with the Unity Proposal as written. It would be unfair to them to present a list of concerns without presenting their list of accolades for the Unity Proposal. In short, it does not appear that there is one list of concerns or one list of accolades that can be written to represent the Omaha Church of Christ. In lieu of this, this document will attempt to express the range of concerns and accolades expressed by members and former members of our church in response to the Unity Proposal.

Spike in the Flesh

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Kid-Friendly Conferences

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Note of Concern

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Ordo

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Safest Place on Earth

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I Have a (Fill-in-the-blank) Friend

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

An Interesting Idea

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

A Real Paradigm Shift

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Message to the Board

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Forgiven Life

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Search is Over

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Interesting Book

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

A Set of Concerns

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Little Things

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

This Present Darkness

Sat, 27 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Da Vinci Postscript

Fri, 19 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Obligatory Da Vinci Code Post

Fri, 19 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Butterflies

Mon, 08 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Spiritual Birthday

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Celebrating the Wrath of God

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Breakfast at IHOP

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

For those that want to know the conclusion before the details, here it is:

I’m staying for now. I better understand the perspective of the board and the minister - we actually want the same things and have a very similar line of thought on almost everything. It’s funny that with the same thoughts and reservations, one side can conclude “Sign it because it doesn’t hurt us” while the other side concludes “Don’t sign it because it can only hurt us”. The real work of any kind of unity requires us to work together despite two different conclusions.

I took a stand for something I strongly believe. I also committed myself to working it out until I got an answer - and that answer could have been that I leave the church I attend. I wanted a certain answer, but I was and still am willing to accept that an agreement cannot be reached (thus I leave). I feel like the minister did the same - he strongly believes in togetherness and family. He was committed to me as a friend and wanted to understand why I am outraged at the UP. He was hoping that I wouldn’t leave, but would be my friend either way.

Gospel of Judas

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Authenticity and Marketing

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

4/28/1991 - 4/3/2006

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Day After

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Our Story

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Bridging the Gap Ministries

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

How We Understood the Bible

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Our Hermenutic - Rough Thoughts

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

From My Wife

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Speaking of Hope

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Going Out

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Preach the Word

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Of Discipling

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

A Look Forward

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Who Is God? (still writing it)

Mon, 26 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Stepping Stones - Week Two

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

In Depth exercise for Week One

Wed, 07 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Stepping Stones - Introduction

Sat, 19 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Onward and Upward

Fri, 11 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Something I Need to Say

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000

What Imperative?

Thu, 06 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000

*NOT FINISHED* A year ago, I started looking at what I called God-Thinking Theology. In part, it was a reaction to reading about efforts to “balance out” works-oriented theology with grace-oriented theology by leaders in the IC0C subculture. It struck me as odd that an unbiblical practice would require balance instead of elimination. It also struck me as strange that by implication, grace also needed to be balanced out. I certainly do not want grace to be “balanced out” for me as I have no righteousness of my own to use as counter-balance. I believe I know what was meant: there was a fear that teaching too much grace would demotivate people from acts of service, love, kindness, etc. Still, the bottom line is a concern about what a person does instead of who a person is.

Left-Handed Thoughts

Fri, 23 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Eye of the Storm

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Encouraging Night

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Helping New Orleans

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

The Definition of Is

Wed, 24 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Emotionally Healthy Church

Thu, 18 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

An Instrument of Peace

Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Getting Back

Sun, 14 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Talmidim continued

Fri, 12 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Talmidim

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Fifty Most Influential Churches

Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Purpose Driven World Peace

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

John 15:1-11

Mon, 18 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

New Scroll Fragments Found

Mon, 18 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

In Remembrance of Me

Sun, 10 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

The Message from the Pulpit

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

ICoC Investigation Site

Thu, 30 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Abnegation of Reason

Sat, 25 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Are We Men?

Thu, 16 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

May the Force Be with You part One

Wed, 15 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Forgive the irreverance, but everytime I heard that phrase, I always thought “and also with you”. It was something I learned in an Episcopal Church that has always stuck out in my mind. It was just so automatic. The priest would say to the church, “the Lord be with you” and instantly a crowd of 400 would reply in one voice, “and also with you”.

It’s a rhythm thing, I can’t resist.

On to serious matters, though, it seems that our brother in Portland has been to the movies lately. It seems that his rhetoric is racheting up and is only bound to increase as he works through a study of the book of Revelations. I’ll give you a hint into those sermons - Thomas and his doctrine will be on the side of God. All others will be on the side of Satan. All symbolism that points to the Christian church will point to his specifically controlled, er, influenced congregations. The message intended to remind early Christians that God is sovereign and encourage them in their fight against Satan (and not the Romans) will be twisted into grow faster at all costs.

Ethics of Money

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Theological Worldview

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Camping

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Emergent Response

Fri, 03 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Medical Accounts of the Crucifixion

Wed, 01 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Before and After

Mon, 30 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

The Emergent Order

Mon, 30 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Good News from My Workplace

Thu, 19 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Good Reads

Thu, 19 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Religious Ozone

Wed, 18 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Set Theory II

Tue, 17 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Set Theory

Mon, 16 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

I was reading an article on church as set theory and I enjoyed it. I know it appeals to my visual side and my mathematical side, but I also like the idea that those that make up the members of the church are not always set, or necessarily known by any one person. I believe that many under the ’territorial’ model see the gates of Heaven and the doors to their fellowship of local churches as the same thing.

I thought about it for awhile and decided that I wanted to expand on it a bit. I’m not saying this is any better or worse, it is just what went through my mind as I thought about set theory.

Need A Dose of Reality?

Sun, 15 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Another Blog to Read

Fri, 13 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Alternate Timeline of Paul's Letters

Tue, 10 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Great Post on Another Blog

Tue, 10 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Exhaustion

Wed, 04 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

A few thoughts while not sleeping

Tue, 03 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Thank you for the Prayers

Mon, 02 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Sunday Devotional

Tue, 26 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Learning About God through Creation

Sat, 23 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Nifty Post

Mon, 18 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Another Baptism this Sunday

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Other Fellowships

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

A Baptism on Sunday

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Eye on the Sparrow

Tue, 05 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

An Encouraging Article

Fri, 01 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Going to Minnesota

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

A Doctrinal Division

Wed, 30 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

It’s a longer one today.

Man Made or Truth of God?

Tue, 29 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Recent Focus -
Wed, 23 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

The Ministry Fair

Sun, 20 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Today was a lot of fun. A lot of this comes from the insight of my wife, to whom I want to give tons of credit. I’ve been looking forward to this for two weeks. My intial reaction wasn’t so positive, but after some time of prayer and reflection, I saw this as the potentially good idea that it turned out to be.

I’ve been thinking about how to present the “Teaching Ministry” in a way that will engage people. My biggest concern was that folks would think that they didn’t want to stand up and teach the Bible to a large group. There’s a difference between something called a “Teaching Ministry” and an “Adult Education Ministry”. The issue I had was trying to make it accessible to as many as possible. Why? Because this ministry needs others that can edit and organize. It needs folks to manage the church website and the church library. It needs perspectives from members of the church that can serve many people. In short, it needs more than just the teachers.

In Search of the Historical St. Patrick

Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

It’s the time of year when everyone tries to find a bit of Irish blood in their genealogy. I have a complexion that demonstrates my Irish heritage, even if my lineage does not.

In thinking about what my wife and I would do tonight to ‘celebreate’ St. Patrick’s Day, I got to thinking about who this person is. Why did St. Patrick’s Day become a big deal? Although I don’t have time or space to answer why it is so important, I do have time to indulge a little investigation into the historical St. Patrick.

The Vaccuum Lady Principle

Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Class will begin soon

Tue, 08 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

What is Teaching?

Sun, 06 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Me and Dr. Thomas

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Church Website and Day 1

Mon, 21 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Christian Resource Wiki

Fri, 18 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

A Serious Teaching Tool

Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

A Study Series, Revisited

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Word Study about the Mind

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

The Vocal Minority - DRAFT3

Fri, 28 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Stepping Stones

Mon, 24 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000

This Weekend Past

Mon, 24 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000

I went to my church’s Men’s Retreat this weekend. The Aldersgate Retreat center is run by the United Methodist Church in Villisca, Iowa. The advantage of it is that they provide food and shelter for up to 64 people and it is only a little over an hour away. That allows us to spend Saturday night and still attend church of Sunday.

Although the theme was a good one, it was pointed out that if you had come to the retreat with your own agenda, feel free to do so. My agenda was pretty straightforward: Be Still and Know that He is God. All I wanted to do is find a place that was far away from anyone to pray, meditate and sing. Little did I know what the weather had in store for all of us.

I was glad to hear a brief lesson on meditation Saturday morning. Joel requested that everyone to try and sit still for 20 minutes and just listen. It amazes me how hard this is to do. Thanks to the declared two hours of silence in our cabin, this was easier for most folks. It certainly helped me when I got back from my outside adventure.

Now I had gone out Friday night to pray. The wind was blowing pretty hard, but the wind chill was still a little above zero. The main focus of my prayer was to stop seeing myself as the underdog in my day to day life. It was intense and the noise of the wind kept others from hearing my shouting.

All in all, very good time spent.

However, come Saturday, the tempature dropped to the single digits. This would have been fine except for the increased winds from last night. We now had windchills in the thirty and forty below zero region. Most people with some sense of sanity look at this and ponder their options:

Option 1: Stay inside, enjoy all manner of coffees and hot teas. Option 2: Venture out as far as my car and sit in my car. Option 3: Venture outside and freeze the remaining braincell into silence.

I think it’s safe to say that Option 1 is the sane and normal choice of most people.

There were a few folks that chose Option 2 due to the number of folks that chose Option 1. The cabins was a bit crowded with 32 guys trying to find ‘personal space’ in the cabin. I know this because I was one of maybe three or four that chose Option 3; I saw the Option 2 guys running to their cars.

Things to share

Fri, 14 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Food for Thought

Mon, 27 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000

To Everything, There is a Season

Sun, 26 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Some time ago, a friend of mine explained his spiritual life in terms of the seasons of the year. I have found it true in my life and I hope it may help in yours:

After summer, when the leaves fall and all prepares for a winter sleep, it is a natural time of reflection. The winter brings a time of rest - a time to pause and catch your breath. The springtime is a new birth and allows you to start fresh. It is a time of new ideas and planting. The summer is the time for harvest, a chance to reap the benefits of the work of spring. With the summer harvest taken in full, the Autumn allows for reflection, as previously stated.

The real reason for no changes by Barry Mahfood

Wed, 22 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000

It's Not a Scar, It's a Story II

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been around men telling their ‘war stories’ a few times. The older I get, the more I tend to join in on these stories. While most of the conversation can center around the kind of talk that rightly belongs in the The Rancid Crabtree Fly-Fishing & Filosofical Society, sooner or later one of the men will roll up a sleeve and point at a small discoloration.

“I got this one while peddling my dirt bike down the dirt path by Burnside’s path. I was eight.”

It's Not a Scar, It's a Story

Fri, 03 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Call for Questions

Sat, 27 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Devotional on Otherness

Sat, 27 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Follow up to Prayers for Iraq

Thu, 18 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

[Grid::Blog::Gospel]

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Prayers for Iraq

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Forgotten Passage

Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

My Last Advisory Group Meeting

Mon, 25 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

A Sideways Look at Authority

Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

A History of Change

Tue, 12 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Convenient Memories

Tue, 05 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Who's Afraid of the UBF?

Tue, 05 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

An Open Letter from a Seeker

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

1. God-thinking Theology

Sat, 02 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Something I want to remember

Sat, 02 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

History of Shepherding

Thu, 30 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Thoughts and feelings

Wed, 29 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Quote of the Day

Tue, 28 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

A thoughtful article

Mon, 27 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Communion

Sun, 26 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Another week

Thu, 23 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Red light, Yellow Light, Green Light

Thu, 23 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

A Hornet's Nest

Fri, 10 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Our Culture and Faith - draft 1

Fri, 10 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Thought Process

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Parallels

Tue, 07 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Spiritual Maturity

Tue, 07 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

A Clean Heart

Thu, 02 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Intentional Deprogramming - Conclusion

Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Intentional Deprogramming Part 1

Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Intentional Deprogramming Part 2

Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Intentional Deprogramming Part 3

Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Deprogrammers?

Tue, 31 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

So you want to know who this Jesus is?

Mon, 30 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Old Testament Apocrypha - Draft 1

Mon, 23 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Where's the Beef?

Thu, 19 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

The Great Debate

Wed, 18 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

The Prophets of Old -Draft

Fri, 13 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Demonic Paradox

Mon, 09 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Me? Overract?

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Jerusalem Church of Christ update

Sat, 17 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

The Peanut Rattles in the Jar

Thu, 15 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction to the Old Testament

Sun, 11 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Lines in the Sand

Thu, 08 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Exposition of 1 John - Week 1

Sun, 06 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000

What I Believe - Parts 1 and 2

Mon, 10 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000