Chaplainmike

Saturday Ramblings, February 7, 2015

Hello imonks, and welcome to the weekend. Up for some rambling? It seemed to rain a lot early this week in much of the country, but that was really just the tears of grown men staring at seven months of painful FWS (Football Withdrawal Syndrome). Besides the tears, other symptoms include: Compulsively checking the DVR to seeContinue reading “Saturday Ramblings, February 7, 2015”

Commentary: Worship Decisions We’ll Regret

Paul Wilkinson put it in his weekly link list and called it, “The Worship Article that’s Got Everyone Talking.” He’s referring to a concise list of “15 Worship Decisions We’ll Regret,” by David Manner. Manner is the Associate Executive Director for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists with responsibilities in the areas of Worship, Leadership and Administration.Continue reading “Commentary: Worship Decisions We’ll Regret”

Give us this day our daily bread

I know what it means to live week to week, paycheck to paycheck. I don’t know what it means to live day to day, without guarantee of a paycheck. I don’t know what it means to be completely dependent on grace and mercy. I may indeed be completely dependent, but I seldom realize it. IContinue reading “Give us this day our daily bread”

Open Forum — February 4, 2015

We haven’t had a truly open forum for awhile, so let’s have our first free range discussion of 2015 today. An Open Forum means you get to talk about what is interesting you at the moment. This is your chance to bring up topics you would like to discuss with others in the iMonk community, rather than being guidedContinue reading “Open Forum — February 4, 2015”

Death Letter, part four: Hope and Healing

We live in a Good Friday world, but we are an Easter People. • • • This is our final installment of reflections on David W. Peters’ memoir, Death Letter: God, Sex, and War. Peters served as a battalion chaplain in Fort Hood, Texas from 2004-2007, which included a deployment to Iraq in 2006. After Iraq he alsoContinue reading “Death Letter, part four: Hope and Healing”

Tokah’s Journey, part 2: Grant Me to See My Own Transgressions

Note from CM: Thanks to Tokah for this fine follow-up to her post in December. If you didn’t get to read it then, or would like to review her story, you can read part one HERE. • • • Grant Me to See My Own Transgressions by Tokah Last month, I had the privilege ofContinue reading “Tokah’s Journey, part 2: Grant Me to See My Own Transgressions”

Sundays with Michael Spencer: February 1, 2015

Note from CM: 2015 will mark five years since the death of Michael Spencer, the Internet Monk. Today, we continue our “Sundays with Michael” series with an excerpt from post that was originally published in January 2009. • • • Dietrich Bonhoeffer has been an influence on my life since high school. His Letters and Papers fromContinue reading “Sundays with Michael Spencer: February 1, 2015”

Saturday Ramblings – Jan 31, 2015 (Jim Cantore Edition)

Good morning iMonk community! Pastor Dan is away on a prayer retreat this weekend, so I’m filling in. And I say, Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! We made it through Winter Storms Juno and Kari (reports below), now this weekend we’re facing WS Linus here in the Midwest. Where I liveContinue reading “Saturday Ramblings – Jan 31, 2015 (Jim Cantore Edition)”

Empathy

Note from CM: I received an email from Mike Bell yesterday asking for a leave from writing for IM for awhile. They have received some bad news about a family member whose cancer has returned, and Mike will have additional responsibilities in the days to come. He is also facing some increasing demands at work. PleaseContinue reading “Empathy”

A More Grounded Gospel

And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. • Ephesians 1:22-23 The good news is that the one true God has now taken charge of the world, in and through Jesus and his death and resurrection. •Continue reading “A More Grounded Gospel”