Weekending-Posts and Reads and Other Interesting Things

Seems I caused a bit of a stir this week, which to put it mildly, is highly unusual for me.  Most of the time I write and get no response whatsoever, which I'm o.k. with!  I know from the stats that I have readers from around the world, here and there but the lions share are from the United States and I figure it's mostly family and friends taking pity on my efforts and reading my blog every once in awhile.  This week was a little different.  I seemed to have hit a nerve, so much so, that I made Shane's list over at Ministry Matters.

The top two most read blog posts this week are:
Distinctly Methodist?
Will the Church make Room for a Prophet?

After I wrote "Distinctly Methodist", my friend, fellow blogger and Methodist minister, Craig Adams, posted a couple of interesting pieces on his Face book page that go along with what I was talking about.  One is an op/ed piece by David Brooks from the New York Times:
If It Feels Right

The other is a piece from USA Today:
More Americans Tailoring Religion to Fit Their Needs

Methodist minister and blogger, Dalton Rushing, brought up a very valid point in his blog post in response to my "anything goes" comment:
Anything goes? Really?

Not every Methodist minister is doing their own thing.  What was unsettling for me though, is that I can personally confirm one item on Dalton's list.  Here is what Dalton wrote:

"In the beginning was the Word, which you can interpret however you want. I choose to think that the Word was not so much a Word as a symbol, like the artist formerly known as Prince."

The sermon that I heard was not that exact verse but the point was the same.  I was reminded of something that happened a little over ten years ago-the Reimagining conference.  The archives at the United Methodist Reporter and United Methodist News Service do not go back that far, but at the time the UMC involvement with this conference was highly controversial.  I agree with Dalton that many MANY UMC ministers do preach carefully thought out sermons from differing perspectives and that is a good thing.  I still stand by my assertion that I think we need to get back to our roots because we need to speak from our Wesleyan heritage, consistently across the board.  The sermons preached from the pulpit in the northeast are vastly different then the sermons preached from the pulpit in the deep south.   I wish I could say that there was a consistent thread, but from my experience over the years, the "consistent thread" is that they share the name United Methodist.

Enough on that hornet's nest!  Let me share some other blogs that I thought were interesting this week!

John Meunier wrote a piece about the UMC mission statement:
We Need A New Mission Statement

Bishop Schnase wrote about two new initiatives in the Missouri conference:
Reaching Out and Reaching Up
and he posted an update on Joplin:
Joplin Progresses on Recovery after Tornado

I'd like to take this opportunity to personally thank Bishop Schnase for continuing to post on Joplin.  Bishop was on top of this right from the beginning!  Within 24 hours of this disaster he had information out to the entire Missouri Conference letting people know what was going on, what was needed and how they could help!  In contrast, there hasn't been a lot of information coming from the New England Conference, (which my home state of Vermont is part of) about the flood damage or ways to help.  Bishop Schnase and the folks at Missouri conference did it right and they deserve kudos for their amazing efforts to get the word out!

Last but not least, let me share with you a blogger who have enjoyed immensely!  Sue Whitt posts daily lectionary with prayers and reflections which are just a joy to read!  If you have not discovered her wonderful blog, go check it out!
Sunday's Child 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  Fall is most definitely in the air and I am feeling the urge to bake coming on!  Bread and cookies and soul food, oh my!

Weekending-As the Rain Falls, Some Odds and Ends Worth Noting

Here in Missouri, Tropical Storm Lee is sending out her last gasp of rain as I type.  It's a wet day but we actually needed some rain!  I just wish that my friends in Texas would see some of this rain as they deal with a severe drought and wildfires!  So many folks to pray for and so many things to be thankful for on this wet Saturday!

Christine Sine has some great prayers to share this week.  I encourage you to read them.
Prayers for the Journey 

Of course tomorrow is the ten year anniversary of September 11th.  I join with others to lift the survivors and the brave souls who responded, in prayer.  May they be comforted.

My thoughts turn to Vermont as my family and friends work on recovery efforts from Hurricane Irene.  As a matter of fact, two of the top three posts on my blog this week deal with their stories.  You can read them by clicking on the home button and then clicking on the individual post title.  They are:  I Love Her Because of Her Indomitable People and, When Alan Met Irene.

I was able to listen by Internet to local radio station WDEV's great Saturday morning show, "Music to go to the Dump by".  Here's the update on the state and here is the message that they are asking all of us to get out to folks.  Vermont is open for business!  Seems a lot of folks are canceling their fall foliage trips because of the news about the flooding, but, Vermonters are pretty tough and they are working hard to help the hard hit areas.  Keep in mind, there are also areas in the state that did not get hit and did not see any major damage and the main roads like Interstate 89 are open!  So for those of you who are wondering if you should go or cancel your plans, GO!  And if you have never been to Vermont but always wanted to go, fall foliage season is a fantastic time to experience the Green Mountains!  The trees will be beautiful, the apples will be ready to pick right off the tree, you can drink fresh cider or grab a fantastic cup of coffee and there are the local Chicken Pie Suppers, Chamber Orchestras, fall festivals, Tunbridge World's Fair and for race car lovers, the annual Milkbowl!  Who knows, you might even get to see a moose or two!

The top read post on my blog this week:  Social Principles and Theology.  Thanks to fellow bloggers John Meunier and Allan Bevere for getting the ball rolling on this topic!  It really does need more discussion.

No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, I hope that you all have a fantastic weekend!

Weekending-Busy times and Introducing a Very Special Blogger

It's Saturday evening and normally I have the weekend blog up long before now!  Life has been crazy busy this week between school starting and my son's birthday and my daughter's visit!  Did I mention that we were trying to re-build parts of my daughter's Jeep so she could drive it back to base with her?  My dining room table turned in to a work table this morning due to the severe thunderstorms that rolled through first thing!  Long story short, we managed to finish her Jeep and she left four hours later than she planned but she is on her way back to base!  Meanwhile, mama is saying a prayer and keeping the cell phone handy until I know she is safely and soundly back at base!  That little fact could make Sunday morning worship service an interesting experience indeed!

While I'm waiting for that phone call, let me introduce you to a very special blogger that I had the pleausre of discovering this week.  Her name is Ella, and she is the daughter of my high school friend Lisa.  Ella is a wonderful reminder of why we should listen to what our children have to say!  Read her comparison between Dr. Suess' story of the Lorax and the gulf oil spill and you'll understand what I mean!  Our children do listen, they do see and they do have opinions and we adults need to be reminded of that fact once in awhile!  So, it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Ella and her wonderful blog!  Check it out!

Lorax-How You Can Help

Here are a few other good reads from this week as well:

Jedi Pastor Ken's thoughts on the latest and greatest Christian Leadership Books.  He'd rather spend time with his dog and I whole heartedly agree!

Enough with Christian Leadership Books!

Allan R. Bevere wrote a great piece on arguments based on silence and why they are not such a good idea.  Some people may disagree with him but I think what he had to say, particularly in regards to using this argument when discussing scriputre is very relevant!

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Pants, No Service

And finally, Mike Lindstrom wrote a piece this week  asking where is the accountability for churches, not just pastors in the latest greatest proposed system.  As a lay person, I share Mike's concern and it is a question that I think we all need to think seriously about!

Too Much Power to the People?

Have a fantastic rest of the weekend!  And forgive my tardiness in getting this posted!  It's just been that kind of a day and it's not over with yet!  Once a mama, always a mama and I'll be up until I get that phone call!  Take care!

Weekending-Happenings and Some Good Reading

I'm excited that my beautiful daughter is flying home today!  She is in the Navy and just graduated from her second phase of  classes, so she's taking a little leave time to spend with the family!  High on her to do list is papa making steak on the grill!  I have a feeling that I'm going to be doing a lot more cooking and baking this week!  That's o.k. by me!

I meanwhile have been traveling down memory lane thanks to a new Facebook group about my hometown!  Talk about blasts from the past!  And there are people who are part of the group that I haven't seen in years so it's been a lot of fun to reconnect with them!

My top two blog posts this week are: 

Moments of Jubilee Amidst Anarchy

Leadership-Jesus Style!

From around the web:

Alan R. Bevere's blog post  What Happened to the Sense of Urgency?
Mike Lindstrom's post  False Advertisting in the UMC
Pastor Jon's Too High? Too Low? Just Right?

Last but not least let me introduce you to fellow lay-speaker, blogger and facebook friend Tim Good.  Tim actually has more than one blog and most in the Methodist World are probably familiar with his blog The Naked Alien.  But Tim is also a nature photographer and he posts the most amazing pictures at his other blog Photography by Tiwago.  The photos can be summed up in one word:  Gorgeous!  So if you would like to experience the extraordinary in the ordinary go check out Tim's photo blog!  It is truly a journey of beauty in the world around us!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone! 

Weekending-Some good reading from around the web

I wanted to share with you some of the blogs I've been reading this week.  I think they are worth a look!

Let's start with Allan R. Bevere, one of my favorite bloggers.  A couple of posts really caught my eye.  First, he posted a very short quote from Dave Ramsey explaining the current debt crisis in terms the average person could understand.  Ignore the chart because he just used it as a graphic, but read the quote, it is fascinating!
The Federal Budget and Debt Plainly Explained

The second piece is about generational cycles.  The piece was written by fellow blogger Michael Kruse and although I don't think life is quite as cut and dry as this, there are pieces of this explanation that I nodded my head in agreement with as I read.
Can Generational Cycles Help Explain the Current Political Rancor?

If you want to read more Michael Kruse blogs you can go here:
Kruse Kronicle

If you want to know more about Dave Ramsey you can go here:
Dave Ramsey Homepage

Chistine Sine blogs at Godspace and every week she posts a wrap-up of "Prayers for the Journey".  I love her simple heartfelt approach to prayer!  I hope her daily prayers inspire your prayer life!
Prayers for the Journey

Mike Lindstrom wrote a great piece about that all important mission and the fact that transformation has to start with you and me FIRST!
First We Must Be Transformed

Jay Voorhees stirred up a hornet's nest this week with his blog post responding to a comment made in an interview with Amy DeLong.  I'm going to post his initial post and his follow up post to help give you the full picture.  Regardless of the controversy around this, I do think Jay was correct in pointing out that yes, when you become a Christian a process of change does occur!  In all of my readings of Wesley sermons never do I find that Sanctification is a static process.  The basis of Sanctification is ongoing change, going from "glory to glory to glory". 
Oh, I'm Probably Going to Tick All Sorts of People Off....

The follow up:
A Comment on My Previous Post That Probably Won't Make Anyone Any Happier....

Bishop Schnase posted a great piece by some of the first responders talking about their experiences in Joplin.
Early Responders Share Their Story

John Meunier posted a piece last week that I almost hesitated to share but I think there is an important lesson in all of this...how not to handle church conflict!  Let's say some prayers because this is obviously a very difficult time for this one particular church!
A Confrontation During Worship

Last but not least, let me introduce you to fellow blogger Kathy Felsted Usher.  Kathy is a modern day homesteader and she writes about her life at her blog Moving on to the Past.  Take some time this weekend to mosey around at her blog page and read her great stories!  She shares the ups and downs of trying to live in a simpler way in a crazy modern world!  She is an amazing inspiration to me and she gives me hope that I might actually be able to make modern day homesteading work at my place here in Missouri!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!  May blessings flow to you.  May blessings flow through you.  May blessings flow from you so you can be a blessing to the world!  Go forth in love!

Trudy

Weekending-What I've learned this week (and some good blogs to read)

When you have children time seems to move much faster!  Today is my daughter's birthday.  It seems like we just celebrated her younger brother's birthday and Father's day.  And did I mention there was a wedding in the midst of all of this?!  As of tomorrow my oldest step-daughter will celebrate her one week anniversary!  The rest of the summer shows no indication of slowing down!  I've also discovered that a mild but extended fibro flare is far more exhausting than a short intense fibro flare!  I will survive but I sure would love to get a pain free night of sleep!  There but by the grace of God go I...

Second, I have discovered that I have more readers of this blog than just my daughter!  Thank you to all who have chosen to stop by and listen to my stories!  I appreciate each and every one of you and I hope you feel free to comment on the blog!

Along the blog line I have discovered that the top 3 blog posts on my blog are:

 Deep Spirited Friends
What Are You Being Asked to Do?
The Future is Bright Thanks to the Millennium Generation

I've also learned the importance of double-checking the spell check because it is a bit quirky!

Last, I've read some great blog pieces this week from around the Methoblogsphere!  I think you will enjoy reading them!

Robert McDowell at Nikos posted a great video with his blog post
"A New Country and Methodism"
John Meunier wrote a really great piece about what churches can learn from diners
Chicken and Dumplings
My dear friend Ann wrote a wonderful piece after reading one of my blog posts
The Web of Exchange
I really enjoyed this piece from Jon at Caffeinated God Talk about an experience he had as a youth minister Redemptive Empowerment
Last, but not least, Dan Dick tells a modern day parable about our obsession with numbers
An Unlucky Parable

Have a blessed wonderful weekend everyone!  Remember to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy and also remember those who serve in order to protect our freedom!