the church geek

Tonight’s full moon rising. I’m still trying to figure out what shutter speed and aperture works best on my digital cam. I wish the moon was a little brighter, but I think it’s a great photo nevertheless. I have a full moon shot alone here.

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How’s this for photo #150? Hope you aren’t scared of spiders!

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Another beauty from our lovely flower garden.

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Hey it’s summer, and I’m looking for an idea for a “fun” summer sermon series. Last summer I did a series on “Psalms Everyone Should Know.” I really loved it!

I’ve been toying with doing one on either the Apostle’s Creed or the Lord’s Prayer. While they are something I should tackle here soon, they just don’t seem like really fun ideas for the summer.

Any thoughts?

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As a result of a recent visit to Solomon’s Porch and recent experience in my own worship context, I posted some thoughts and concerns about making sure all folks are able to engage in efforts to break down the barrier between pulpit and pew and to create a more conversational preaching style. Check it out over at Presbymergent.

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On our day off we are enjoying one of our recent Trader Joe’s purchases.

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The only tractor to use in Iowa. This one happens to be parked in the empty lot next to our home.

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Passed through Shellsburg, IA today on my way to a graduation party.

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What does a “Church Geek” do on his vacation? He visits other churches, of course…

Over the past year or so, I’ve been immersing myself in the emergent conversation. One of the leaders in that conversation is Doug Pagitt, the pastor of Solomon’s Porch, a holistic, missional, Christian community that meets in the Twin Cities. Over the weekend, my wife and I made a trip up to Minneapolis, and on Sunday evening we took the time to pay a visit to one of their gatherings.

Solomon’s Porch meets in an old Methodist building. When we arrived we scoped out a couch to sit on since there are no pews in the sanctuary. All the pews have been replaced with couches that face the center of the room. In the center is a stool from which the primary leader sits when leading a part of the service.

The service that evening focused on raising awareness about the sex slave trade and exploring ways to join in with efforts to help abolish it. We watched a video that detailed three different stories of women and children who had been freed from such slavery. We also learned about an organization called “Not for Sale” that organizations can partner with to join in abolition efforts.

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Yet again…

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Yes, I know…it’s another flower. But hey, it’s what we got going on right now.

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As promised here are photos from the past couple of days:

Since I’m interested in the “emerging church,” on Sunday we made a trip to Solomon’s Porch an emerging missional group that gathers for worship in the Twin Cities. I’ll say more about this visit in a later post.

On Monday, we headed to Red Wing, MN where decorated boots line the streets since it is the home of Red Wing Shoes.

This morning, before we headed home, we went to the top of Barn Bluff in Red Wing MN, and saw this great view of the Mississippi River.

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Managed to get off a shot and get it posted before we got on the road…

Found a toad in the well of our window basement. Here, he is doing me the favor of posing for me after I saved him from the well. (Click here to see him in large size, he is really cool!)

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This is what my wife and I have to show for our first two days of vacation…a lot of hard work (and this is only the half of it.) It’s a good thing we’re off to have some fun tomorrow for a couple of days.

We’ll be gone for a couple of days so I won’t be making any posts. But rest assured when I get back on Tuesday I’ll have some pictures to post for your enjoyment.

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