by Tim Sensing | Nov 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
Below are sermon notes from that Gospel Meeting, the third of five that I will post: The Gospel of God Enacted Isa 56:1-8; Acts 10:23b-43 Recall the story of a 4th Grade election. I was the only one in my class who lost—rejection, left out in the cold, excluded,...
by Mark Hamilton | Nov 8, 2010 | Uncategorized
The core claim, or at least a core claim, of Judaism and Christianity is that the One God loves and cares for all the creation. Unlike Gnosticism, which believed that the world was a big mess from which God must rescue the few worthy humans in whom specks of cosmic...
by Mark Hamilton | Nov 3, 2010 | Uncategorized
What must we do to be saved? Pure religion is visiting orphans and widows…. Blessed are the peacemakers…. On and on it goes. The Bible pervasively talks about faith coming to life in action. Hands and hearts move together toward God. It has taken me...
by Mark Hamilton | Oct 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
When we teach the Psalms in the University, we usually begin by trying to categorize them. Almost a century ago, Hermann Gunkel classified them as hymns, laments, wisdom psalms, royal psalms, and whatnot. Each box had several sub-compartments, but it all seemed...
by Tim Sensing | Oct 25, 2010 | Uncategorized
Below are sermon notes from that Gospel Meeting, the second of five that I will post: “The Gospel of God Proclaimed (Acts 2:14-47)?” Beginning at the end. Spoiler Alert! How does the book of Acts end? He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all...
by Tim Sensing | Oct 18, 2010 | Uncategorized
Below are sermon notes from that Gospel Meeting, the first of five that I will post. First, “What is the Gospel of God (Isaiah 40:1-11)?” A research project conducted in Italy asked residents in one city to share their life stories. As the stories were...
by Mark Hamilton | Oct 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
Integrity. What is it? We all want it, if it doesn’t cost too much. We all respect it in others, as long as they don’t rub it in our faces. But what is it? Psalm 15 is about integrity, a serious moral purpose that structures one’s life. Like...
by Tim Sensing | Oct 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
This summer I was asked to preach a Gospel Meeting in Tennessee. Upon further inquiry, the elders clarified that they desired a good-ole-fashion revival. I soon realized that the primary audience also included folks from area congregations who attended various...
by Mark Hamilton | Oct 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
Last week, as I was flying back from a deans’ meeting in Pittsburgh (aren’t you envious?), I tried to change my flight to get back home a little earlier. The meeting had ended sooner than anticipated, so it made sense to try. After fiddling with her...
by Mark Hamilton | Sep 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
Often our discussions of worship focus on what we should do. Do we sing modern praise songs or just the great hymns of the past? Do we sing a cappella, with an organ, with a rock band, or whatever? Does the preaching last a few minutes or quite a few? Does the...
by Mark Hamilton | Sep 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
Now that is Summit is in the books, we can turn back to the Psalms. But let me say first that last week was a wonderful time, as always, of seeing old friends and making new ones. Many good things were said and done, and we all got to remember how pleasant it is to...
by Mark Hamilton | Sep 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
This originally appeared as an op-ed in the Abilene Reporter News on September 18, 2010. As the recent headlines about Qur’an burning and mosque building have made clear, Americans are conflicted about religion. Caught between those who fantasize about a Christian...
by Mark Hamilton | Sep 15, 2010 | Uncategorized
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that fewer things bother me, but the ones that do bother me more than ever. Maybe that’s your experience too. The thing that bothers me most these days is the widespread acceptance of slander, bullying, disrespect,...
by Mark Hamilton | Sep 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
Sometimes life is too much with us. I’ve thought about that a lot this weekend: when sawing up a tree that the wind broke, when painting a fence I had repaired a year ago but just now got around to finishing, when trying to send text messages to a more tech...
by Mark Hamilton | Aug 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
As we turn to Psalm 8, let me present here a talk I gave a couple of years ago in chapel. I’m not sure what to add, so maybe it will be of use to you. Out of the Mouth of Infants “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth.” The Bible is a...
by Mark Hamilton | Aug 24, 2010 | Uncategorized
It’s been awhile since the last post. Things have been busy here, with all sorts of pre-semester work, including a great trip by our faculty to DFW to meet with ministry leaders there, and as recently as yesterday, the inauguration of our 11th president. ...
by Mark Hamilton | Aug 13, 2010 | Uncategorized
One of the more disturbing aspects of worship in Christian congregations today is the strong bias toward good cheer and superficial encouragement, no matter the circumstances, no matter the feelings that people bring with them to the service, no matter how much we...
by Mark Hamilton | Aug 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
Thanks to everyone who wrote about the first post in this series. I always wonder if anyone is reading these, so it’s wonderful to receive such excellent feedback! I’ll get to your suggestions in time. For now, let me go to Psalm 2. One of the most...
by Mark Hamilton | Jul 28, 2010 | Uncategorized
I thought I’d start a series on the Psalms to augment the discussion on worship. I don’t want it to be 150 posts long because that requires too much of a commitment. So, instead, I’ll just write on the ones that jump out at me. Purely an arbitrary...
by Mark Hamilton | Jul 16, 2010 | Uncategorized
It’s always wonderful to watch the work of our alumni and alumnae, both those who are just beginning the life of ministry, and those who have been at it awhile. You will enjoy an article one of our recent graduates, Jordan Wesley, wrote in the current issue of...
by Mark Hamilton | Jul 13, 2010 | Uncategorized
This Sunday, I’m supposed to preach a sermon on Isaiah 41, a gorgeous text inviting Israel to come to God, not in fear but in trust and hope. It’s a powerful text, and in many ways an easy one to preach. But it’s got me to thinking about a couple...
by Mark Hamilton | Jul 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
This overly long post — overly long because of too little time to make it shorter — tries to pull together two difference experiences to comment on a third. Perhaps you can make it all make sense. First an allegory from baseball: Last week, my family and...
by Mark Hamilton | Jun 29, 2010 | Uncategorized
There’s a set of texts in the Minor Prophets I’ve been thinking about. The following comments are part of a curriculum I wrote for a great church in Arlington, Texas. Maybe it’ll be of use to others. To preface it, let me say that I think much of...
by Russell Kirby | Jun 14, 2010 | Students
After setting up a lemonade stand for mommy and daddy in the living room, our son decided to take his show on the road. Though ostensibly to grow his “Toy Story 3” fund, I think he really just enjoyed making the homemade, freshly squeezed treat and sharing...
by Russell Kirby | Jun 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
(h/t to M.Div student, James Prather, who recently posted this on his blog. Quite a trip!) This Is My Journey by James Prather On Monday, June 7, 2010, I took the biggest step yet in a journey that many of you know very little about – I turned in my two weeks notice....
by Russell Kirby | Jun 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
“We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do.” [youtube 2lXh2n0aPyw] Russ Kirby Director of Student Services ACU Graduate School of Theology Tweets by ACUGST...
