|
|
|
Most recent blog entries |
 |
|
| God's Love Never Quits | Brad's Blog Mid-Week Missive | By Brad Miller on8/26/2010 8:27 AM | |
| Greetings!
This week started with an afternoon of celebration with the International Christian Church as they installed their new pastor, Sokhom L. Chau. Any day I get to spend with my Cambodian friends is a good day, but this day was up near the top. With Sokhom’s installation, the church has taken another great step forward on their faith journey. New members have joined; their property looks better than ever; and the smiles on their faces tell the whole story: they are reveling in the blessings of God. But more than that, they are working hard to share those blessings with as many people as possible.
After the worship service, Phan Rhattanak and Phaly Huy sat with Charles Kinney and me and talked about what BCC had done for them. They talked of being inspired by the stewardship letter that went out a few years ago declaring, “Are We Crazy?” Phan said it made the folks of the ICC sit up and say, “Hey, we are crazy too!” Because of that letter, he said, ... |  | |
| More... |
| | Sunday August 22, 2010 "Must We Suffer?" Romans 8:12-24 | | Brad's BlogBrad's Sermons | By Brad Miller on8/25/2010 8:11 AM | |
| Suffering is all around us. Each of us know what it means to suffer. Each of us has witnessed the pain of loved ones dealing with disease or heartbreak or misfortune. And each of us has probably wondered: must we suffer?
In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul addressed the issue of suffering, at least in passing.
As we hear the scripture, let’s put ourselves in the position of the congregation in Rome. We have gathered to worship and are told that there is a letter to be shared, a letter from a missionary in the field. The letter is from Paul, a missionary known to us, even if we have never met him.
Close your eyes and listen to Paul’s words. Remember, if you were in the church in Rome, you would most likely hear once and once only, so listen carefully. I have asked XXX to read part of Paul’s letter to us.
So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for ... | | |
| More... |
| | Planning Ahead | | Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive | By Brad Miller on8/19/2010 9:54 AM | |
| Greetings!
As we move steadily toward Fall, activities in the church start to gear up. On September 12th, we will begin our “Super Sunday” program that will run for 6 Sunday evenings. On September 24th and 25th, the Garden Club will hold their Fall “Yard Sale” (which is highlighted by some very nice furniture donated to the club specifically for this sale). On October 10th the pumpkins will arrive…and on and on.
To kick off the Fall, beginning this Sunday, August 22nd, we are undertaking a new endeavor for Adult Christian Education. Each week, in addition to the “Lectionary Class” and the Senior Adult Class, we will offer a “Special Topics” class in the newly renovated classroom (in the old church office – ask on Sunday and someone will get you there!). The classes will all meet from 9:45 to 10:30 and are designed to address one of the streams of thought that came from our recent cluster meetings. That is, a desire for spiritual development through increas ... | | |
| More... |
| | Sunday August 15, 2010 "Why Did You Change, God?" Malachi 3:5-7a and John 14: 15-21 | | Brad's BlogBrad's Sermons | By Brad Miller on8/16/2010 1:40 PM | |
| It’s funny where sermons can lead you.
And I’m not talking only about where they might lead people who hear them, I’m also talking about where the sermons sometimes lead the preacher.
It’s a little hard to explain, but this sermon series entitled “Questions for God” has led me to places I wouldn’t have expected. And that is a good thing. The fact is, this series has led to a reaffirmation of why I do what I do, why I believe what I do, and why I want so badly to share that with others. It isn’t that I have necessarily learned something dramatically new, but I have become reacquainted with some important truths, and I can’t tell you how much that excites me.
This week, maybe more than ever.
I think that there are about four different kinds of sermons. I tend to think that some sermons are primarily to inform; they are teaching sermons. Some sermons are intended to provoke someone to action. Some sermons are aimed ... | | |
| More... |
| | A New Start | | Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive | By Brad Miller on8/11/2010 8:21 AM | |
| Greetings!
As I was driving to work this morning, I passed about 50 kids waiting for school busses along my way and I was reminded that for alot of the kids in the Atlanta area, this week is the first week back in school. One friends kids in Decatur actually started last week, on August 2nd. It seems early to me, but it must really seem early to the kids! In fact, I don’t think it matters if you start on August 2nd or October 2nd: it’s still going to be early for the kids!
But still, I remember going back to school with a sense of excitement, a sense of a new beginning, and if it was a year where you changed schools, you actually had a chance to “reinvent” yourself among people who had never met you before. Sometimes that is what I miss most after spending so much of my life involved with higher education. Because the fact is, that new beginning and new excitement was just as present in my 13 years as a college faculty member as it was when I was in elementar ... | | |
| More... |
| | Sunday August 8, 2010 "How Am I Doing?" Micah 6:8 and Luke 6:27-31 | | Brad's BlogBrad's Sermons | By Brad Miller on8/11/2010 8:12 AM | |
| So, envision this: you are standing before God, having left this earthly life. How many of us wouldn’t want to know “How did I do?” It gets at the essence of our relationship with God: “Have I lived up to what you wanted, God? Was my worship, my praise, my life, pleasing to you?”
The first time I can remember thinking about this was about 14 years ago when, as part of my seminary education, I served as a chaplain at the Edgewood, a residence for folks who are homeless and HIV-positive. There I met a man named Johnny, about 30 years old, a gentle, quiet man who had a great talent for drawing. In fact, there is a pen and ink drawing by Johnny displayed in my office to this day. Johnny was at peace with his situation, and was what I would consider to be a fine, Christian man.
But Johnny had not always been that way. As we got to know each other, Johnny slowly shared his story with me. Born of a solid family, he veered away in his teens and early twenties, be ... | | |
| More... |
| | Connections | | Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive | By Brad Miller on8/11/2010 8:06 AM | |
| Greetings on this steamy day,
Today I was reminded of the importance of the connections in our lives. Too often, we don’t really think about how many ways we have been touched, and how many ways we are able to touch others. But today I was reminded again that among the greatest blessings we experience are the connections we have with so many people.
Today I spoke with an old friend. Someone who I haven’t talked to in a long time – maybe 3 years. Within minutes we got past the catching up part and it became clear that my call was well timed because he needed to talk. And while all I did was listened, our connection was a help. To both of us.
Today I had lunch with a friend that I see about 5 or 6 times a year. We were in the midst of a pleasant lunch when it dawned on me that I had something nagging at me that she was in a position to help with, because of her profession. And so I asked her professional opinion about something and, as ... | | |
| More... |
| | Home | | Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive | By Brad Miller on7/21/2010 10:12 AM | |
| Greetings on this hot and going to get hotter day,
I have been thinking about home a lot lately. Not just the place I call “home” but the whole idea of what “home” really is. It probably started about two weeks ago when I was talking to my sister about plans for our annual family reunion at our cottage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the end of July. 16 of the 18 members of the family will be there, the only 2 missing will be our nephew Daniel and his wife Rachel, who are expecting their first baby in September and so can’t travel from Seattle. It is always great when we can all get together, and getting together at Munuscong makes it all the better, because that is one of the places that I definitely think of as “home.” Summers growing up my parents ran a church camp that had once been a fishing and hunting resort owned by my Great Uncle and built by my grandfather. From the 1920’s on, it has been a special place for my family. Today, no less than 8 cottages on the river b ... | | |
| More... |
| | SUnday July 18, 2010 "Choose the Better Part" Luke 10: 38-42 | | Brad's BlogBrad's Sermons | By Brad Miller on7/20/2010 9:30 AM | |
| My mother was a doer. All 4 foot 11 inches of her was a human dynamo.
She could be a whirling dervish of activity. Even when she sat down to watch TV or listen to music she was always “doing.” She was a knitter and always had a project going – an afghan, a sweater, a scarf – to be given as a present for someone. One of my most enduring memories is of my mother sitting in her easy chair, knitting needles a blur, yarn being fed from her big knitting bag that sat on the floor beside her. And all the while, she would be watching TV or carrying on a conversation. She just needed to be doing something.
My mother was also a planner. She was, in a very real sense, the glue that held our extended family together. She loved to host parties – at Christmas, at birthdays, for special occasions such bridal showers and baby showers – she had a knack for knowing how to plan and carry off a good party.
From a young age, I loved having all the people ... | | |
| More... |
| | Thankful | | Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive | By Brad Miller on7/15/2010 3:05 PM | |
| Greetings on this steamy day…
All week long I have been singing a song inside my head…”It is good to give thianks…it is good to give thanks to the Lord…” Those of you who were at “Praise on Peachtree” last Sunday know that the theme was gratitude and that song was one of the centerpieces of the service. As I have gone through the week, I have found myself giving thanks for so many things. Big things and small things. Mundane things and extraordinary things. Things that can bring a tear to my eye and things that can make me laugh out loud. And I find myself in a much better place when this happens.
Which brings me to the question of the hour: do I feel closer to God because I give thanks? Or is it my closeness to God that causes me to give thanks? Sort of a chicken and egg thing, really. While still wrestling with the definitive answer, I’m leaning toward to saying yes to both questions. There are just days when the sun shines and the sky is blue and the h ... | | |
| More... |
|
|
|
 | |