Falling Into an Outhouse
During a round of golf, here's what you say when you make a particularly bad and embarrassing shot that nevertheless ends up in wonderful spot: "falling into an outhouse and coming up with ice cream."Crass. [...]
Repentance: getting a clear view
Last week's sermon spurred several responses. I'll mention one here. One member shared with me having had a marital spat the night before - which had been weighing heavily that morning, and about which he [...]
Repentance: The Theology of Apology
This Sunday, I begin a new series called "Repentance: The Theology of Apology". I invite you to prepare, along with me, to hear and discern God's Word!Some Information about this three-part series, beginning September 13 [...]
Heroditus vs. Thucydides? The Melian Debate
In today's sermon, entitled "The Melian Debate," I am posing two differing ways of thinking about history - and I might add, different understandings of international and political relations among human beings. Today's sermon offers [...]
Bentham vs. the Bible: Can We Use Scripture to Justify Torture?
The sermon that I gave this morning deals with the question, Is it right that our society self-consciously and self avowedly employs the method of torture in the effort to keep us safe?Without repeating the [...]
What does the Bible say about immigration?
For you folk who want to cut to the chase, here's the question for this week: Does the gospel (and the scriptures in general) speak to how we ought to treat the stranger in our [...]
Did Jesus Come to Destroy Human Religion?
Friends! Jeff V. here. I see it's been a long time since an entry has appeared in this space. Blogging is harder to do (especially as a collective enterprise) than I'd thought. I will continue [...]
We Wish You a Meaningful Christmas
Perhaps lighter, simpler fare this week. No big theological stuff. Stories! Provided by...YOU! Jeff here again, doing blog duty. Next week - Mary Alice...you tuning in?Here's the question for the week: how are YOU making meaning [...]
What would you do if Mary and Joseph arrived at your door?
We all know the story. Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem. No room in the inn. A stable is all they can find for their nightly digs.We might picture the typical first-century travel experience as [...]
How do we live as Advent People?
Black Friday was indeed a black day. There were incidents throughout the country of death and violence connected to the door buster sales offered. There was the 34-year-old man who was trampled to death when [...]
As a Christian, who, if anyone, would be on your "Axis of Evil" list?
As Christians, do we have a list of people or countries that we would consider evil and if so, who would they be? The phrase, "Axis of Evil" has been recently used by our president [...]
Would Jesus hang out with gay people?
Unfortunately, we regressed in our Blog participation last week - after a record 8 comments on our question, "How Would Jesus Vote?", we got a grand total of...zip, zero, nada...last week. I'm sure folks were [...]
Money, mulah, filthy lucre, mammon…how do YOU talk about it?
This week's blog question is on a topic that we're all thinking about - especially us'ns who are in the church biz: money. It's stewardship season! And although we emphasize that stewardship (a vastly misunderstood [...]
How would Jesus vote?
The question for this week has to do with what we're all thinking about...well, at least one of the things we can't avoid thinking about: the election.Obviously, I mean for the title of this entry [...]
Lawrenceville Church a Web 2.0 Congregation? What Do You Think?
Jeff V. writing here.... I'm back after a long summer's nap. This post is really an attempt to re-establish our blogging practice as a church...and that's the subject of the post.I've obviously been rather reluctant [...]
The pope agrees with me?
As a response to my sermon last week, a church member forwarded to me Beliefnet's daily joke (http://www.beliefnet.com/dailyjoke/DailyJoke.aspx?QID=3621). Though I usually delete without reading the joke emails that people send to me, I'm thinking of [...]
Did Jesus Laugh?
Did Jesus Laugh?This is the central question around which the mystery novel The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco, turns—a book most worthy of reading, not only for its clever plot, but for the [...]
A Confession and a Final Critique
I write as I watch the Academy Awards Ceremony...a true procrastinator, as you all already know. I'm behind on my blog entry this week. And I want Mark Smith also to know that I am [...]