The Next Twelve

Next week! Thursday, September 5, 6pm CST. Men, Movies & God: "The Great Debaters", starring Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker. One of my personal favorites.

The latest on our series on Doubt at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN. This time on the question, "Why should we pray?"

Chapter 8: “Why should we pray?” Throughout the summer, my wife -- The Reverend Canon Natalie Van Kirk -- and I have been preaching a series on the subject of doubt. We have been

Ministry is always not just about the challenges we currently face, but about changes that lie ahead. This is an interesting article, in that it tells us something about what may shape Generation Beta. But it is also interesting in terms of what it suggests about generations already in the mix.

According to projections, "Boomers, currently 13% of the global population, drop to 8% [by 2035]. The Builder Generation is all but gone, and Gen X turns 70. Meanwhile, Gen Alpha will be the largest generation alive. All of this happens just 11 years from now."

Generation Beta Defined - McCrindle Simply put, Generation Beta is defined as those born between 2025 and 2039.

This Sunday at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN we begin a new sermon series on "Discovering a Eucharistic Spirituality"!

I prayed this for a friend, who asked me to share it here.

Perhaps, you might be in a place today, where you need this prayer as well:

Gracious God, embrace my friend, ________. Remind him of your great love and all that you long to give him. And on this day, help him to live into that future which you have prepared for him.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Continuing our conversation at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN. This chapter on the question, "Why do we suffer?"

Chapter 7: Why do we suffer? Throughout the summer, my wife -- The Reverend Canon Natalie Van Kirk -- and I have been preaching a series on the subject of doubt. We have been

Jesus doesn’t follow formulas. He broke the Sabbath to heal. He sent the l***r to the Temple to be declared clean. Use a formula. Find Jesus taking the other side.

Our continuing series on Doubt at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN. This chapter on the question, "Does God love only Christians?"

Chapter 6: Does God love only Christians? Throughout the summer, my wife -- The Reverend Canon Natalie Van Kirk -- and I have been preaching a series on the subject of doubt. We have been

Tomorrow at Good Shepherd. Brentwood, TN, we continue our series, "Got Doubts?" and we struggle with the question, "Why do we suffer?" Our Adult Formation session will focus on the doctrine of the Trinity. Join us in person at 8am and 10:15am or online at 10:15am CST on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/goodshepherdepiscopalchurchbrentwood

There is more to death than you might have thought, more to the power of the Resurrection than you might have guessed:

Chapter 5: Does death get the last word?     Throughout the summer, my wife -- The Reverend Canon Natalie Van Kirk -- and I have been preaching a series on the subject of doubt. We

Chapter 5 on our conversation about doubt at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN. This one on death.

Chapter 5: Does death get the last word?     Throughout the summer, my wife -- The Reverend Canon Natalie Van Kirk -- and I have been preaching a series on the subject of doubt. We

Coming to Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN, on August 11, following the 10:15 service. Fun and fellowship...

A new chapter in our conversation at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN on "Got Doubts?" The subject in this post is chapter four: "What is Heaven? What is Hell?"

Chapter 4: What is heaven? What is hell? Throughout the summer, my wife -- The Reverend Canon Natalie Van Kirk -- and I have been preaching a series on the subject of doubt. We have been

Some thoughts on where Christians who are not comfortable with the stories we are told by both parties might stand:

We live in a world where perceptions have become everything, where character is no longer a priority, and influence is everything. As a result, political campaigns have a kaleidoscopic character. Voters are presented with ever-changing gradations of color, as political parties look for just the right combination of hues that will elicit a sigh of satisfaction from the largest number of people possible.

The message doesn’t matter. Words don’t matter. Character doesn’t matter. We are fed a steady stream of lies and contradictions that are so bold, so blatant, so frequent, that the average citizen cannot possibly process it all. If you look for refuge by aligning yourself with one party, rather than the other, you will be disillusioned. If you try to name all the lies, the effort will be so daunting, so dispiriting that it will induces a strange blend of paranoia and cynicism.
Where can we stand?

“The truth will set you free.” It will. But to find it, for it to set you free, it must be the only commitment that you make.

Refuse both parties your support, your voice, your time. Sit with the commitment to truth. Let it sift out of what you are offered as both parties turn the kaleidoscope, attempting to mesmerize you - to capture your attention, your passion, and your energy.

Ask yourself, is my vision of what is needed in this political moment broad enough? Have I accounted for all that we will need from a leader to face the challenges that we face? What are those needs at home and abroad? What kind of leadership will address not just my own needs but the needs of my neighbor? What can I reasonably expect government to do and what are the responsibilities of other institutions, other groups -- above all, what are my responsibilities? Ask yourself what are the intended and unintended consequences of the way that we navigate the immediate future - for our own country, for the world, for our children and our grandchildren?

There may be a candidate who can fulfill those requirements. But it isn’t likely. Remember, the current political environment isn’t designed to produce those candidates.

In all probability you will find yourself with one of two choices: “the lesser of two evils” or the opportunity to protest all the lies and manipulation by voting for someone who is not on the ballot.

Go to the polls and vote your conscience. Don’t let the kaleidoscope blind you to the truth or drive you to vote in fear. Both parties want you to believe that if you don’t vote for them, catastrophe will follow. This is the first lie, the primal lie, and they want you to believe them.

The only thing you can control is your vote. If you want the truth, you must act in accordance with the way that you see the truth. Because there will always be more lies, more colors and hues, as they continue to turn the kaleidoscope. Those who wait for the colors and hues to align are mesmerized. Their attention is held by someone or something else to the exclusion of the truth. And there is no end to that spell.

On the events in Butler, PA:

Scripture does not suggest that God micromanages life. Romans 8, which refers to what God has foreordained, does not refer to the circumstances of individual lives, but to God's choice to intervene on our behalf in the person of his Son.

Scripture also teaches that our world is fallen and marred and that sin - our desire to be our own gods - imperils us and others. The assassin made a choice that did both.

He risked and lost his life in an evil endeavor. He missed the President because he was a poor shot, he fired under duress, and the President turned his head to look at a display. Others were injured and another man lost his life because he risked his life to defend his family and - sadly - was in the line of fire.

To read the events of that day in any other way is to spiritualize the events of that day and place God at the center of events, when - in fact - the central actor was a lost and embittered soul who chose to make himself the instrument of evil. God's sovereignty is not expressed in scripting our lives. God's sovereignty lies in achieving his ends, even as he allows us the freedom to choose both good and evil.

Our continuing series on "God Doubts?" at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN. Chapter 3: "Can we trust the Bible?"

Chapter 3: Can we trust the Bible? Throughout the summer, my wife -- The Reverend Canon Natalie Van Kirk -- and I have been preaching a series on the subject of doubt. We have been

Our continuing series on "Got doubts?" at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN...

Chapter 2: Does God exist? Throughout the summer, my wife -- The Reverend Canon Natalie Van Kirk -- and I have been preaching a series on the subject of doubt. We have been

"As my prayer became more attentive and inward, I had less and less to say. I finally became completely silent... This is how it is. To pray does not mean to listen to oneself speaking. Prayer involves becoming silent, and being silent, and waiting until God is heard."

Soren Kierkegaard

The first in a series of posts on the subject of doubt and questions that we all struggle with, based on sermons the my wife, The Rev'd Canon Natalie Beam Van Kirk and I have been preaching at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN:

Chapter 1: What is doubt? Throughout the summer, my wife -- The Reverend Canon Natalie Van Kirk -- and I have been preaching a series on the subject of doubt. We have been

Some thoughts on revitalizing parish life...

Revitalizing Parish Life The subject of revitalizing parish life is not a common topic of conversation in mainline Protestant churches. And in my own tradition, the people who do

Some thoughts on church revitalization General Convention and the way forward.

Convention to the Local Church: Work out your own salvation So, way down at the end an article dealing with other, more important issues at the General Convention, The Living Church reported on a conversation that

Some follow-on thoughts on the basic assumptions at the heart of the Prayerbook Revision Debate:

Assumptions at the Heart of the Prayerbook Revision Debate Over the last few days an article that I wrote, entitled “Whose peace?”, sparked quite a bit of conversation. There were many who agreed and offered

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/whatgodwantsforyourlife/2024/06/whose-peace-and-prayerbook-revision/

“Whose Peace?” and Prayerbook Revision Among the seemingly endless number of modifications to the Book of Common Prayer that are now in the works for General Convention, one of the latest is

Today at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN, we say goodbye to our friend, John Gregg.

John was a long-time member of Good Shepherd. He and his wife, Arlene, were once our church's newlyweds in their nineties and eighties. John was a veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; a retired Lieutenant Colonel; an administrator at the University of Virginia; and he was a faithful Christian servant, worshipping here and at Church of Our Savior, Charlottesville, Virginia.

His service will be held at 11am. A reception will follow. Please join us in celebrating his life and the hope of the Resurrection.

Some thoughts on the new advocacy for "Cultural Christianity":

Living on Fumes: Western Civilization without the Church In recent years, there have been a string of writers who have acknowledged the leavening influence of the Christian tradition on the western world but who

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/whatgodwantsforyourlife/2024/06/let-the-earth-keep-silent-general-convention-is-coming/

“Let the earth keep silent.” General Convention is coming.   (With apologies to the prophet Habakkuk) Maybe it’s just the limitations of the average search engine. Maybe it’s user error. But interestingly

Continuing our Wednesday Night Study at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN, of Bernard's Four Loves...

This Sunday (May 26) at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN:

We start a new sermon series, which Mother Natalie Beam Van Kirk will kick off. Throughout the summer we are going to grapple with doubts and questions that both Christians and others often have but hesitate to mention. Never hesitate to surface those struggles. Even the prophets were people who struggled to understand how and where God is at work in the world and questions help us all get to better answers.

Then, starting on Sunday, June 2, we will also devote our adult formation hour to open conversations about the doubts and questions we will explore. Join us. If you have a question, there are others who probably share those questions and, together, we will be looking for better answers.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/whatgodwantsforyourlife/2024/05/baptism-in-a-world-without-god/

Baptism in a World without God My wife and I just returned from vacation in France not long ago. We had a wonderful time. We ate too well. We drank our share of wonderful wine. In