Eyes Wide Open

Looks like Will Willimon is the popular pick this month:
If we don’t have followers of Jesus who embody his gospel, we turn the Christian faith into an intellectual problem, a matter of academic debate, a thing of deep, inarticulate emotions, or some other invisible exercise which excuses us from the task of making people who […]

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“Jesus did not come preaching a new philosophy. He came preaching a new way of living and dying.” -Will Willimon, Acts

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I am preaching this Sunday (and next). The text for this week centers on the riot in Ephesus (Acts 19). Essentially, the local silversmith union is going out of business b/c Paul is calling for all to turn from idol worship to the one true God. The thing is, I have a […]

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More than ever, we have big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low morale, secured rights and diminished civility. We excel at making a living but often fail at making a life. We celebrate our prosperity but yearn for purpose. We cherish our freedoms but long for connection. In an […]

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Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
With the LORD on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?
The LORD is on my side to help me;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge […]

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“Worship is the only thing you get to do forever.”
I dare say these are good words to ponder, may they re-shape the lens through which we view Sunday mornings.

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Words of Preparation for Sunday, April 29 in reference to Acts 17:16-21
The God who sent the Messiah is still the Holy One of Israel, a jealous deity without rivals, an exclusive lover who tolerates no competition – money, sex, philosophical ideals, institutions – who fiercely judges all idols made by hands or minds of men. […]

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From time to time I will post the Words of Preparation used in worship at First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa. By all means, your comments are welcome and appreciated.
“As I travel, I have observed a pattern, a strange historical phenomenon of God moving geographically from the Middle East, to Europe to North America to […]

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