Have you ever listened to the orchestra tuning up or the sound check for a band? It may not be the most lovely sound, but tuning up is necessary for the production of great performance. If John Cook pulls out his guitar to play for us, he must take a little time to tune it. […]
Author Archives: paulrpurdue
Before supermarkets imported apples from New Zealand and grain from Kansas the harvest produced tremendous joy. To taste a crisp apple right off the tree or bake bread with grain fresh from the threshing floor led to harvest festivals and feasting. Yet, the faithful Levitical farmer waited to experience tasty harvest delights. Leviticus 23:9-14 calls the […]
Almighty God, Heal our land Forgive us For we have turned from Your paths And we have turned away from each other Come bring wisdom Remind us that one day all things will be made known Free us from our craven consumerism, greedy idolatry and narrow self-interest Quench the partisan desires for reelection that […]
A seldom celebrated, yet vital part of any good preaching is asking questions. Questions are more dangerous than declarative statements for they demand an answer. We brush off a hard statement. It is harder to shake a good question. Jesus asked questions all the time. Here are a few: Is not life more than food? Do not even […]
I grew up in a church that did not regularly pray the Lord’s Prayer during worship services. One of my Youth Director, perhaps fearing my education at “Mary Queen Of the Holy Rosary School”, told me not to pray the Lord’s Prayer. He emphasized it was just a model prayer not intended to be prayed! […]
A church friend shared with me that she had never heard a mother preach on Mother’s Day. I might share a lot of things about being a parent, but I can’t speak about being a mom. In 1956, the United Methodist Church finally ordained women to full clergy rights. We decided to fully include women […]
How can we assure “Christian Quality Control” ? Production Values for A Christ-Replicating Church Benchmarks found in the Sermon on the Mount Are we people, who _________ ? o do not have to be right ( such folks will be blessed) o are striving to live ethical, just and good lives ( such folks will […]
The Healthy Church Series: What exactly do churches produce? May 5: “Everyday Excellence: what does a healthy church produce?” Our Methodist bookseller, Cokesbury lists some 428 titles under “church growth” and 284 under “church marketing.” Somebody is writing a lot of books about how to grow churches, even as average overall worship attendance falls. Churches […]
Holy Comforter, we come to you acknowledging our shock and loss This tragedy stirs in us tears, fears, bewilderment and outrage We recall past wounds, crimes and heartache Help us lift our first feelings of fear, despair and rage to You Slow our tongues, quicken our minds, awake our better selves Guide us along your […]
Almighty God, we come to you acknowledging our shock and loss This tragedy stirs in us tears, fears, confusion, bewilderment and outrage We remember past wounds, violence and heartache Help us lift our first feelings of fear, despair and rage to You Slow our tongues, quicken our minds, awake our better selves Guide us along […]
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