Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Solomon's Porch tonight

Friends:

Solomon’s Porch meets tonight at First Cup Coffee House, located at five mile and Inkster road, from 7 pm to 8 pm.

The topic for tonight: We will discuss the proposed bailout of the automotive industry. Is it necessary? Is it vital to not only our immediate area but the whole US? What sort of stipulations, if any, should be placed on the proposed bail out? Do you think this bail out will set further precedent for future bailouts of other industries? We will partner that discussion with identifying what our criteria are as people of faith for “bailing” out someone in need. If we are to do for the least of these, what does that look like in your life? What guidelines, if any, do you use when you lend someone a hand? How should the church or people of faith be involved in these discussions? Do we all need to agree on how and when help is provided? Should there be a universal model?

Please plan on coming out with your opinion as well as respect for others as we tackle this timely issue.

Look forward to seeing many of you there. If you cannot attend but would like your voice heard, send me and e-mail today(bicyclepastor@yahoo.com) and I will include it in the discussion tonight.

Be blessed.

Peace
PB

Friday, November 14, 2008

First faith and film discussion this Sunday

Friends:

Be sure to join us at St. John's this Sunday at 6 pm for the viewing of the Morgan Spurlock film "What would Jesus buy?". It is a fun yet poignant look at the consumerism of how Christmas has been taken over and Americans are getting further and further in debt and losing focus on the reason for the season. Some facts for you to ponder this Christmas season:

-the average American currently holds $13,000 worth of credit card debt.
-In the average Christmas season consumers in America will charge 100 billion dollars to their credit cards.

This is a discussion our church and community needs to have. Please join us for popcorn, a special movie and a lively dialogue about what habits God is calling us to adopt this and every Christmas season.

When: Sunday, November 16th
Where: St. John's Lutheran Church
Time: Movie starts at 6 pm, discussion at 7:30 pm

Be blessed.

Peace
PB

Thursday, November 13, 2008

A call to action from the ELCA advocacy group

The current Congress will be in Washington for a lame duck session the week of November 17. The nation's need for economic recovery is urgent, and we believe Congress should act as quickly as possible. One thing Congress can do immediately to help low and moderate-income families is to support job creation measures and provide additional support for safety net programs that are especially needed during times of economic hardship.
Our partners at the Coalition on Human Needs have provided an easy way to get this message to the lame duck Congress. Simply go to the following link and send Congress a brief email: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/125/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26088 Thank you for taking this easy action during these tough times. For more information on the current advocacy work of the ELCA, visit our website at www.elca.org/advocacy.

Be blessed.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Great line from former lineman and ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth

Being a former trench man myself I have a fondness for former offensive lineman. Today on ESPN former Washington Redskin/Denver Bronco guard Mark Schlereth used a one liner I have never heard before. I am sure it is not an original but love the visual. He said:

"Remember when you point a finger three are pointing back at you"

Priceless and so true.

Be blessed.

Dine out with friends of SJ and help support our missional efforts

Friends:

Please consider dining out with our church on Thursday, December 18th between the hours of 5pm and 8pm at Max and Erma's in the Laurel Park Mall at 6 mile and Newburgh. On that night groups from SJ will meet for dinner and fellowship with 20% of your dinner cost going to support the missional efforts of SJLC. This event is open to friends, family and anyone else you would like to break bread with. At 5pm and 7pm folks from SJ will be there for group dining, but you can go anytime between the hours of 5-8pm. More information will follow about how to make sure that SJ is credited with your dining experience. This is a great opportunity for fun, fellowship and a good meal.

Peace,
PB

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Wise words from a six year old....

Check out this great story I received this morning on e-mail. Good news about life, its purpose, and how we might want to live it.

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year old).

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolf hound named Becker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Becker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Becker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Becker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Becker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Becker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Becker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Becker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.' Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

Check out this great post blog post from Bruce.

Friends:

I enjoy reading the blog of Bruce Gerenescer. His post this morning is spot on. It is titled "God is not the problem". Find it here and be inspired.

Be blessed.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Post election charge from Jim Wallis at Sojourners

Dear Friend,

Click here to watch a special message from Jim Wallis to President-elect ObamaYesterday’s election represents a watershed moment in the life and history of our country. Regardless of how you voted, our entire nation can celebrate the milestone of our first African-American president. We can all embrace this profound opportunity for deeper racial reconciliation and social justice.
But this is also a moment that demands prophetic leadership and the power of a faith-inspired movement. From the abolition of slavery, to women's suffrage, to civil rights, history shows us that political change happens when social movements push on open doors of political leadership. And the best movements have spiritual foundations.
Please join me in telling President-elect Obama that we will pray for his presidency while also holding him accountable to the promises of a new kind of politics.
This election represents a new and open door for change. However, we know that President Obama will face tremendous pressure and obstacles in pursuing an agenda that addresses the moral imperatives to overcome poverty, develop renewable energy, responsibly withdraw from Iraq, and dramatically reduce the number of abortions.
That is why your commitment is needed now more than ever. We must ensure that the campaign slogan of “change” becomes a new movement for change.
Send a personal pledge to the new president, telling him that you will be part of that movement.
We will deliver your pledge to President-elect Obama and his team, with the message that the faith community will be mobilizing both in support of him and to hold him accountable. Sojourners will start with President Obama’s own pledge to mobilize our nation to cut poverty in half in America over ten years and provide the leadership necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goals to cut extreme global poverty in half by 2015.
Join us in ensuring that these campaign promises become a reality.
In recent times, religion has been both too narrow and too divisive. The faith community can now play a new role—bringing people together on the biggest moral issues of our time—even across old political divisions.
This election has shown that the era of single-issue voting is over and a broader moral agenda that seeks common ground on moral issues has begun. Members of Black churches, Catholics, evangelicals, Latinos, and mainline Protestants are acting on a broad set of biblical values. I look forward to the day when both poverty reduction and abortion reduction become nonpartisan issues and bipartisan causes.
Please join me in offering President-elect Obama our prayers and our actions as he assumes the responsibility of leading our nation in a very challenging time.
Sincerely,
Jim WallisPresident, Sojourners

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Is e-mail dead?

From www.christianitytoday.com

Text Appeal
How churches are integrating new communication tools into ministry.

If you haven't heard, e-mail is so 2006. Text messages sent via cell phones are quickly becoming the communication method of choice, especially among young adults. And churches are now finding ways to integrate the medium into their ministries.
Earlier this year, Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, fielded churchgoers' questions sent through text messages during his "Religion Saves" sermon series. The approach offered anonymity (no one had to go up to an open mic) and broader participation (off-site viewers, including those watching streamed video online from home, could send in questions).
The ability to interact with the preaching via text messaging during the sermon was so well received that Mars Hill is planning to expand its use.
At Lake Pointe Church near Dallas, Mason Randall says his skateboarding outreach ministry has grown about 25 percent during the past year largely because of text messages sent through EZTexting.com.
Randall, the congregation's student outreach pastor, pays EZTexting.com about 2.5 cents per message per student to blast out reminders of upcoming events or to communicate prayer requests. He strategically times his messages to reach nearly 350 students at opportune moments such as weekday mornings before school and during lunch hours. He figures he pays between $50 and $100 a month to do it.
"Most of the people I hang out with are glued to their cell phones," Randall says. "Teenagers don't do anything with e-mail." Like Mars Hill, Skate Church also offers opportunities for students to text questions during Tuesday night sermons.
Randall expects to see text messaging grow beyond youth groups: "I see more and more adults becoming text-message savvy and doing more things on their cell phones than ever before."
But don't send too many texts, he warns: Not everyone has unlimited text-messaging plans with their cell phones, so some have to pay to receive messages.

I still think e-mail has a place. But, at the same time, I realize that at 40 I may not be as "hip" as I think I am. I do text, but not near as much as I e-mail.

What do you think?

Be blessed.

Monday, November 3, 2008

It is now easier to access this blog

Friends:

Missionary wheels blog is moving up in the world. We now can be found more easily at http://www.missionary-wheels.com . Please tell your friends about this site and the new, easier way to access it. According to blogger, it should be up and running in the next three days.

Thanks.
PB

Solomon's Porch tomorrow night

Friends:

Solomon’s Porch meets tomorrow night at First Cup Coffee House from 7-8pm. Every other week we gather and discuss an issue in the news and ask the questions of how faith and life intersect in relation to the topic. The topic for tomorrow night:

The holiday season is upon us. This time of year is often marked with indulgence in too much food, drink and spending. As we face the current economic crisis, will this season be different from others? Will you indulge less? Will your time, talent and resources be allocated in a different way? Will you pay attention to how you are eating, drinking and spending? If so, what will this look like? What, if anything, are you doing differently to celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus? How are people of faith called to “represent” this season? Will your involvement in the commercialization of Christmas be different this year? Make sure you come out tomorrow to First Cup and share your views!

Be blessed.

Peace,
PB

Friend Tony Jones moves his blog to Beliefnet

Friends:

I am a regular reader of Tony Jones blog. I appreciate the way he makes me think and I am glad to report that his blog has moved here. Check it out if you get the chance and make it one of your favorites or subscribe to his blog feed. You won't be disappointed.

Peace,
PB