Yeah, 2016 basically sucked for everyone… except Tom. I was really confused at first when my friend Matthew said those words, so I decided to reflect on them and offer … Continue reading 2016: Bar Chaplain Year in Review
Month: December 2016
Calm Is My Act of Resistance
Calm is my act of resistance. Over the past few months, this simple sentence has been my mantra whenever stressful situations arise. I do my best not to get flustered or … Continue reading Calm Is My Act of Resistance
A Liturgy for Christmas
May these words speak hope and comfort to you wherever this Christmas finds you…
In the beginning,
God separated light from the darkness,
air from the water,
land from the sea,
and from all of these,
God called forth everything we now know as
“the universe.”
God set into motion the idea of time
and populated the primordial planet with life
from the very simple to the very complex.
And at the pinnacle of this creation
was a creature that united
that which God had initially separated—
a mingling of the earth and the waters
with God’s Holy Breath breathed into its lungs.
Humanity.
Creation’s Caretaker.
Helper to The Holy One.
But Temptation assailed this amalgam creature,
and with it came Sin and Death,
and the culmination of God’s creation,
the being meant to bear God’s Image,
the entity to which all else had been entrusted,
fell.
And all that which God had declared “good” began to decay;
our spirits themselves were defiled due to deceit,
as hereditary heartache took hold,
and that which was intended for eternity
became unbearably and terminally finite.
But all was not lost.
We perceive in the pages of Scripture,
through a past populated by peoples poor and powerless,
through an oppressed nation of shepherds, slaves, and sinners,
God continued to conspire.
The Lord chose agents not based on their own merit
but on that which God would do through them,
and words of hope poured from priests and prophets through the centuries
until,
at their moment of greatest need,
when the Romans ruled,
and the Herods oppressed,
and the Pharisees and Sadducees seethed in the synagogues—
that was when the Light arrived.
Born of a virgin amid whispers of suspicion and hope,
Jesus of Nazareth,
God’s Holy Son,
Fully God and Fully Man,
walked the world that His words had wound
as heaven-born yet human hands healed the helpless,
and His body bore our burdens.
From Cradle to Cross,
His life and death saved us,
that we might know Death no more,
that Sin might become a stranger,
and Temptation little more than a nuisance buzzing in our ears.
The Word dwelt among us,
lived and died and rose again for us,
that these intermingled creatures of earth and water and breath
might behold the greatest Light,
the Light that shines in the Darkness and refuses to be overcome,
that through God’s perfect design,we might become
a New Creation
for a New Beginning.
So hear the Good News this Christmas:
If anyone is in Christ, that one is a new creation.
The old has gone; the new has come!
Brew Reviews with Jessi: Wiseacre Brewing (Memphis, TN)
Memphis has a rich history of food and music, and there’s a certain grit to my hometown that I haven’t found anywhere else. The city has undergone an incredible transformation … Continue reading Brew Reviews with Jessi: Wiseacre Brewing (Memphis, TN)
Brew Reviews with Jessi: Birmingham, AL
First of all, let it be stated that my girlfriend is some kind of hotel finding sorceress. We pulled into Birmingham with the intent of stopping at a small chain … Continue reading Brew Reviews with Jessi: Birmingham, AL
We’re Heading to Memphis!
This week will be slightly different because of holiday travel. Jessi and I are heading to Memphis, TN on Wednesday to visit my family for a few days. I’m not planning … Continue reading We’re Heading to Memphis!
A New Model of Membership (“What the Hell Is Church Membership?” Part Five)
We’ve spent this week talking about church membership, and now that we’ve found a new definition and explained how to select a church, I want to present a few different … Continue reading A New Model of Membership (“What the Hell Is Church Membership?” Part Five)
Heart, Mind, Soul, Strength (“What the Hell Is Church Membership?” Part Four)
So now that we’ve talked about finding a church with shared values, it’s time to look inward for a moment. You see, we need to address an uncomfortable truth: your … Continue reading Heart, Mind, Soul, Strength (“What the Hell Is Church Membership?” Part Four)
Shared Values (“What the Hell Is Church Membership?” Part Three)
As I wrote on Monday, the common definition of church membership as “a deeper commitment to a church” misses the mark. This definition totally leaves out shared values and purpose, … Continue reading Shared Values (“What the Hell Is Church Membership?” Part Three)
One Body (Part Two of “What the Hell Is Church Membership?”)
Over the past six months, I’ve been on a journey to figure out what church membership means to me. Like any good Baptist, I feel a compulsion to start with … Continue reading One Body (Part Two of “What the Hell Is Church Membership?”)