Month: March 2012

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VeggieTales Movie Event

The next VeggieTales Movie Event has been scheduled for Friday, April 13, 2012 at 6 pm in the Fellowship Hall downstairs at the church. We’ll be screening Robin Good. Big Idea, the makers of VeggieTales, provides the following description:

Robin Good has a mission – fundraising from the rich and giving to the poor!  But when greedy Prince starts stealing the townspeople’s hams, donations are down and Robin’s band of friends desert him to give robbing a try.  Can Robin overcome his hurt, show his friends what’s right and restore the townspeople’s hope?

We’ll have pizza, popcorn and drinks. We’ll have coloring sheets for those who arrive early or want to stay late. This is a free event, everyone is invited, and you’re encouraged to bring friends. Feel free to bring sleeping bags, camp chairs, and whatever else you need to get comfortable.

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Voice of the Day: John Galloway

“We soon realize that some passages have been more instrumental in our faith journey than others. Some passages have helped us present the faith more clearly than others. Some passages bring it all together for us. Other passages seem unrelated to anything. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son…” resonates with more urgency for me than Genesis 27:11 – “my brother Esau is a hairy man….” Yes, all scripture is inspired. But not all 31,373 verses carry the same weight for my faith.”

— Rev. John Galloway

I think Galloway’s formulation is an excellent way of approaching this issue. I want to respect the way the Holy Spirit was and is at work throughout the entire Bible, while at the same time acknowledging that not all passages have the same amount of authority for the Christian faith and life.

Hat Tip: Red Letter Christians, the full article is here.

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D.S. Janet Maxwell to Preach March 25

The Parsons District Superintendent, Rev. Janet Maxwell, will be preaching on March 25, 2012 at both services. Her text will be Matthew 28.16-20 with a sermon titled “The United Methodist Way.” Jenny and I will be back from Washington DC by then and we’re  looking forward to hearing her. We hope that you are also.

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Prayer at the Altar Rail

You may have noticed the parenthetical note in the bulletin inviting you to come forward to the altar rail for prayer during the final hymn. You’re welcome to kneel or not, or have Jenny and I pray with you or not, depending on your preference. During the week, I often take advantage of the close proximity of  the altar rails in the sanctuary or chapel for prayer and would encourage you to do the same.

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Screen Installed in the Basement

As you can see in the photos below a screen has been installed on the stage in the basement. The screen is one we had left over from the multi-media project in the sanctuary (the drop on this one was two short for use in the sanctuary, but other than that it’s the same size). We’re looking forward to VeggieTales and other movie events with this new setup.

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A Few Thoughts on the CEB

In the attendance inserts from last Sunday, we received updates from sixteen people telling how they’ve been doing while participating in our 90 Day New Testament Reading Plan for Lent and Easter. We’re happy with that response and hope everyone is able to keep it up. If you haven’t started yet, it’s never to late to begin (although it is to late to finish by Pentecost, unless you double up on readings).

I’ve been reading in the Common English Bible (CEB) on the 90 day reading plan for a little more than forty days now (I started early) and I’m in the book of Acts. I thought I might share a few of my thoughts about this new translation so far:

  1. I think it is an excellent translation to hand out to people who are unfamiliar with the Bible and/or who don’t have a church, or a well-informed disciple, or a commentary to help explain it to them.
  2. I also think it’s a great supplemental translation to use as a commentary. By this I mean that one of the easiest ways to come to a better understanding of a difficult Bible passage is to read the passage in several translations (sometimes Bibles with multiple translations side by side (or parallel) are sold for this express purpose.
  3. Some of the choices of translation, such as “Happy” instead of “Blessed” or “the Human One” instead of “the Son of Man” are jarring to someone who grew up with more traditional translations, but nonetheless helpful in assisting me to see the text anew.
  4. The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), with Today’s New International Version running a close second, is still my preferred translation for study and for worship. This is because NRSV is more literal and flows better (in my opinion). The Bible contains not only difficult words, but complicated lines of thought, it seems to me that the CEB’s attempt to simplify difficult language sometimes makes the complicated lines of thought even harder to follow. In addition, in a setting such as worship or a Bible study where there is help and explanation of the Biblical message, accuracy is to be preferred over perceived ease of understanding. (I say perceived because understanding a less accurate translation is not the same as understanding the message of a Bible passage itself.)

None of what I’ve written above should be taken to mean that I don’t think reading the CEB isn’t an excellent exercise. It is. I, myself, have experienced the peace and presence of the Holy Spirit while reading it. That said, in addition to the people who have expressed great satisfaction with this new translation, I’ve also heard from others who are having a difficult time with it. If you’re one of those people I would encourage you to put the CEB down and continue the rest of the reading plan with a translation you find more amenable.