The (Lieben)GOOD LIFE

We have been immersed in the work of tracking the changing context of congregational life and ministry and in walking along side churches to help them adapt to these changes from three complementary vantage points. First, our theology department teaches students who are a product of youth ministry. Our interactions with over seven hundred students (from the STEM, humanities, and professional degree programs) each year from over seventy denominations and 48 states have given us a window into the lives of teenagers and emerging adults in the United States, but also the churches in which they have been formed. For as Kenda Creasy Dean underscores in her Almost Christian , “the religiosity of American teenagers must be read primarily as a reflection on their parents’ religious devotion (or lack thereof) and, by extension, that of their congregations”. [1]   Drawing on her comprehensive research into the lives and thoughts of religious teenagers, she concludes that the kind of students...

The Road to Glory   Acts 1.6-14 1 Peter 4.12-14; 5.5-11 John 17.1-11   Prayer of Invocation Father, Your blessed Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ descended into our darkness and brokenness, our waywardness and rebellion,  so that we might know You and be healed by Your love; and He ascended to heaven to bring us near to You through the ministry of the Holy Spirit; He sits at Your right hand reconciling all things to Yourself and caring for Your world and Your people: we ask You to give us faith to see this, that He sits on the throne and guides, protects and provides for his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; and that you would give us faith to delight in this truth, that we share in the fellowship that you have with Your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom we pray, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. Prayer of Illumination We cannot know you, Lord, through the wisdom and common sense o...

 I continue my work on a grant for the School of Theology and Vocation at LeTourneau University. In part two, the granting body asks, What are the characteristics of thriving congregations? Here is my draft in response: At our core, we share the conviction of the Lilly Endowment, that “local congregations have been and will continue to be the primary form of Christian community”. Even though LETU is an institution of higher education, we aim all of our curriculum towards the end of “equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4.12). But it is important to underscore that by this we do not mean that we only train people for professional ministry. Rather, we encourage and prepare students from a variety of majors (STEM, humanities, and professional degrees) to embrace the way in which their faith shapes and animates every aspect of their lives, and how all of their gifts, talents, competencies, and privileges can and should be leveraged ...

I am working on a grant for the School of Theology and Vocation at LeTourneau University. The grant application asks the following questions: What are the challenges congregations today? What are the most pressing cultural and social shifts affecting congregations?  Here is my first crack at a response: Through our Lilly-supported Passage Institute for Youth and Theology , and via our engagement with a variety of undergraduate students (from the STEM disciplines, the humanities, and professional degrees programs) at LETU, we have a unique and revealing window into the life of churches within our network of influence. Additionally, over the past five years, the teaching and research that has been done through the School of Theology and Vocation (SoTV) has provided a platform in which we have been able to host on our campus enrichment events, colloquiums, semester-long seminars, theology camps, and round table discussions that have given us the opportunity to engage face-to-face with...

1 Peter 2.2-10 Psalm 31.1-5, 15-16 Acts 7.55-60 John 14.1-14   Fifth Sunday of Easter: Redeemed to Be Priests?   Prayer of Invocation   Father, by Your Spirit  enable us know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way,   the truth, and the life, so that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Sermon I’ve never been to the Louvre in Paris, and I’ve never seen the Mona Lisa in person. But I’ve talked to people that have, and they’ve told me that it is kind of disappointing; there’s a lot of build up, long lines and all,  but in the end it’s just a  small portrait of a lady who frankly is kind of unattractive and looks pretty sad. Friends who have come from out of state to see first hand the lore of the Alamo have said they were surprised by how small it was, and confu...