Claimed, gathered and sent

Parts of the lectionary readings from Tues. really got me thinking. I could not decide which reading to meditate on. Something in each one grabbed me. Ps. 149:4 regarding the Lord's pleasure in his people, Exodus 40:38 -- God's presence with the people through each part of the journey, and 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 with its instructions on how to live incarnational lives. So these bits from the readings all seem interconnected. I had a great diagram of this in Word, but don't know how to add it here, so just imagine a cycle of the above in a circle: 1. God's delight in us. 2. His presence every stage of our journey. 3. Living an incarnational lifestyle--bearing witness of his presence in our lives, and then back to #1 bringing us full circle. Speaking of full circle, remember what we read from Acts on Sunday? Ah yes, the all too familiar story of Stephen's stoning. Martyrdom was the stage of the journey where Stephen found his Lord's presence. He bore witn

You ever read something and you know you've been nailed--those thoughts, actions, feelings that we don't like to admit to, well...we have to own up to them. Please read this article at Gifted for Leadership and you too may be rocked. What do you think? My husband's reaction was that person should not even be considering ministry. I don't know, I think she was just being very honest about those things we'd like to pretend we wouldn't feel or do. Picture from klikr.

Stewardship is frequently equated with giving money at church, but reaches far beyond that concept alone. Often we've heard the three t's: time, talent, and treasure. One of our great treasures is this wonderful earth we live in. Thanks to Mark Daniels for posting this and bringing it to our attention. from markdaniels.blogspot posted with vodpod

While working in Bethlehem in the 1980s with Project Redemption, we came to understand Islam as a Christian cult. Mohammad had gotten only a Nestorian view of Christianity. It was an incomplete picture. Mon. night at a Bible study/study of the Lutheran confessions at Emanuel , we watched a video taped lecture of Tim Wengert, on the confessions. Muslims are mentioned (called Mohammedens) in Article 1 of the Augsburg Confession , along with some other groups. Dr. Wengert explained Islam is considered a christogical heresy. I felt like I was back in Bethlehem! Even Luther and Melancthon viewed Islam as a Christian cult. Though we are divided on the person of Christ, we have numerous commonalities from which to build bridges. Picture from Photo Galerie German Fulbright.

Kouzes and Posner in The Leadership Challenge cite "finding your voice" (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, p. 44) as essential to being congruent and credible in leadership. This is necessary to "model the way,"(Kouzes & Posner, p. 13) one of the "Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership"(Kouzes & Posner, p. 13). They write, "There's the message we want to deliver, and then there's the expression of that message. It's about having a voice and about giving voice" (Kouzes & Posner, p. 44). To find our voices, we must clarify our values and express ourselves. Without fully comprehending "the values, beliefs, and assumptions that drive [us]" (Kouzes & Posner, p. 44), we cannot be credible leaders. These are concepts we have thought about and discussed a lot in the classes Creating Shared Vision and Personal Leadership for Change. So, when I saw the post Finding Your Voice on Gifted for Leadership , my curiosity was piqued

Revival is not something Lutherans discuss much, except with possible disdain when it comes to its seemingly inherent emotionalism. Jim Wallis at Sojourners has a different idea about revival though and is conducting justice revivals. Here is a clip of one in conjunction with a Vineyard Church.

Ezekiel 34 hit very close to home for me. A few weeks ago, we heard of a pastor friend, who had married us, and a situation he was involved in. What the repercussions will be, only God knows, but it brought me up short, reminding me of the need for faithfulness in fellowship with Christ so I can be a faithful shepherd to whatever flock I am responsible for now and in future ministry. Good and godly leadership comes from the inside out. Leaders can only lead based on their values and who they are. I do not want to be as the shepherds Ezekiel addresses, indicted by God as faithless, careless shepherds. Blenkinsopp aptly notes, “Pastoral office is a response to needs that call out for selfless dedication and unremitting solicitude,” [1] leadership being a sacred trust. Leaders must be concerned for the “least of these” (Mt 25) . The issue is not orthodoxy or orthopraxy, but compassionate care, as modeled throughout Jesus’ ministry. It is all about God and his people, not about us