Posts from the Blog of an (un)Tamed Cynic
Over the weekend I had the privilege of organizing a panel discussion on social media and ministry at the Presbytery of Chicago’s LEAD event . Here is the description of our workshop: Ministry 2.0 How can tools like Facebook and Twitter be used for pastoral care, gospel witness, and relationship building? How must our paradigms [...]
This is my Confirmation Sunday sermon from yesterday. The scripture readings were Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 1 John 1:1-4. This is an unprecedented time in the history of Fourth Presbyterian Church. I realize, of course, that you will hear this a lot during this time of transition and change. But let me take a moment to [...]
This is adapted from a sermon I preached this past Sunday—Transfiguration of the Lord—on Mark 9:2-9. There are a handful of things that Jesus didn’t really plan for, things he didn’t really prepare his followers for. Things might have been a lot simpler if he had. For example, Jesus didn’t set up a long game [...]
Here on the other side of Black Friday, it occurs to me that the holiday buying season has replaced Advent as the way our culture prepares for Christmas. I realize that this is no revelatory observation or particularly keen insight. It’s been clear for years that in our post-Christian society the commercialization of an essentially [...]
I’m probably not breaking new ground here, but one of the things I am thinking about this fall—regarding both our youth ministry and the congregation as a whole—is how we think about what it means to be an active member of our faith community. As a downtown church that draws on individuals and families from [...]
