Thursday, November 30, 2006

It's cold, leave me alone.

The little cold snap has left Bodhi a little lazy and a little stubborn. In case you can't tell from this picture, Bodhi is not allowed on the furniture. Although, we just got that chair a few weeks ago when one of our neighbors moved, so no one has told him specifically to stay off that chair.

peace,

will

You Don't See This Much Here

Notice the bottom two numbers on this picture of the clock in my office. On the left, just above the date is the inside temperature, a cool 69 degrees. On the right, just above the day is the outside temperature, a cooler 45 degrees. It is pretty rare here in lovely, tropical Corpus Christi that the number on the right falls lower than the climate controlled number on the left.

Welcome Winter! Enjoy your brief stay in the Coastal Bend.

peace,

will

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

What would you suggest...

It is that time of the year when pastors answer lots of questions and fill out lots of forms for the church the district and the conference. Here is one of the questions on one of those forms:

What resources would you suggest to colleagues to help restore emotional or spiritual health?

My answer:

Take a Sabbath, every week. Be lazy, take a nap or go fishing and forget to take bait.
And get a dog, not a little dog, but a real dog, like a lab or a pit bull or something.
And watch House, Tuesday nights at 8 on Fox and GreyƂ’s Anatomy, Thursdays at 8 on ABC.
And when you hear a cool song on one of the above shows, download it from iTunes and put it
on your iPod.
And call someone younger than you and ask them what iTunes and iPod mean.
And read books, fiction and non-fiction. Read a lot of them. There are a lot of books out there.
They print new ones faster than I can read the old ones.
And do something that scares the ______ out of you. Mountain climbing, sky diving, or foster-
parenting all count.
And convince at least one person that they are worth being loved by the creator of the universe
And experience something every year that makes your jaw drop and tears come to your eyes. It can be good or bad. Many of the things above will facilitate this.


peace,

will

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Not what I thought it would be...

I just finished George Barna's Revolution (Carol Stream Illinois: Tyndale House Publishing, 2005). It didn't take long at 144 pages. It really wasn't what I was expecting. George Barna and the Barna Group he created are renowned for their research within and outside the realm of religion. In this book, the author makes the point that his research is showing a radical shift in Christianity to something that is happening more and more outside the walls (physical and otherwise) of the institutional church. I believe that his theory may be correct, however, what Barna does not share is the research that backs it up. He also does quite a bit of theologizing of his own. Perhaps some of it based on research, but there is no way of knowing.

There is a lot of good in this book, I think Barna can help the local church see how it can be part of the changing landscape of Christianity and can help people who feel out of place in the local church see that they are not alone. However, the helpfulness of the book can be a little hard to get at as it is somewhat buried in the author's still emerging conservative faith. There are times when I couldn't tell if his personal understanding of spirituality was pushing us forward to something new, or simply pulling us back to the way it used to be (in other words, toward another type of fundamentalism.)

So, you can read it for yourself and see what you think. Or you can wait for the review of the book I am reading now, Christianity for the Rest of Us, by Diana Butler Bass, which seems to be a little more on target.

peace and happy reading,

will

Life Underwater

Alisha, my sister, my brother law, my niece, Joshua and I went to the aquarium on the day after Thanksgiving. The Aquarium is truly one of Corpus Christi's treasures. They also have one of the best playgrounds on the planet, complete with that cool rubbery surface covering the ground which provides for very little crying even when little boys fall down.

peace,

will

Monday, November 27, 2006

This Week's Sermon - Text and Audio

Sermon 33 is posted in text an audio form:

Sermon 33 - What Kind of King - Text Version

Sermon 33 - What Kind of King - Audio Version

Your thoughts and questions are always welcomed!

peace,

will

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Live from my office... It's Saturday Night!

I don't often find myself working late on Saturday to finish a sermon for Sunday, but here I am. It is not that I got a late start or that Thanksgiving put me off schedule. I wrote a sermon early in the week and was just planning on polishing it Wednesday evening before my sister and he family got here Thursday morning. When I read it Wednesday it was fine except... I didn't really believe it. Occasionally, in my effort to read scripture and deliver a message, something goes awry and I end up with a finished product that just isn't right. I think people can tell when the pastor doesn't really believe what they are saying. For me it is more than that. I can't bear to stand up there and proclaim something that I don't believe. So, if you are in church tomorrow morning or if you read or listen to the sermons online, you get a whole new sermon tomorrow. This one I believe.

peace,

will

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Some "not so light" reading


I just finished Kevin Phillips latest, American Theocracy, The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money. This goes on my list of the top five books of the year. However, I am not going to recommend it for all readers. Most people just don’t care enough about economics, politics, and theology to tackle four hundred pages of fairly dense, although well written, text.

Phillips book is critical of the Republican Party and the conservative Christian coalition which will displease some who follow that party or group. However, he is deeply historical, tracing patterns that have led to the downfall of other superpowers, and very insightful toward economic data as it paints of picture of the state our nation.

If the book does nothing else, it does an amazing job of showing the complexities and interrelations of economics, politics and religion. What we believe, what we empower our leaders to do and what we participate in simply by our unknowing has serious consequences on every single citizen of our country and every person attached to our world economy.

If you are into this sort of stuff, it is actually a fun read.

peace,

will

Monday, November 20, 2006

For I was suffering from low food security and you gave me food?

Check out this editorial from this morning's New York Times:

Brother, Can You Spare a Word?


It seems that the annual government hunger report (which showed a small amount of good news this year) has dropped the word hunger in favor of "suffering from low food security." I guess it is a lot easier to sleep at night with a lot of people suffering from low food security than with a lot of hungry people.

peace,

will

Rob Bell Revisited

I wrote a review a couple of weeks ago about the book Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. In case you missed it, just click on the title in the last sentence and you can read it. I bring it up again because I visited the website of Rob's Church, Mars Hill. (www.mhbcmi.org) First of all, what a great website! Second of all, all of Rob's sermon are available for download. I downloaded one at random last week and put it on my iPod. Rob is a great preacher. He is not a great preacher of the variety that is incredibly exuberant, or entertaining, or funny. He just really knows his stuff and can translate it in such a way that anyone can understand.

Rob follows the trend of many modern preachers, a trend that seems to buck conventional wisdom, he preaches very long. The sermon I listened to last week clocked in at just over an hour. (And some people complain when pastor John surpasses the 20 minute mark.) Preaching long certainly doesn't seem to be hurting his church, Mars Hill is one of the fasted growing churches in American history.

I know a few people who like to listen to other sermons besides the ones on Sunday morning, which is great. However, there is a lot of bad theology out there. So, might I suggest downloading one of Rob Bell's sermons to your computer or iPod. Be prepared to be engaged and learn a lot.

You can go directly to the audio sermons page:

http://www.mhbcmi.org/listen/index.php


I started with the September 10th sermon, "Jesus Wants to Save Christians." The title is deceiving, it is a great sermon.

peace,

will

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Newsletter Column

I know a lot of folks who read the blog don't read (or don't get) the Grace newsletter. So, here is my column from this week:

I haven’t had a chance yet to formally thank everyone for the abundant outpouring of love and support upon the arrival of our foster son Joshua. Alisha and I have truly been moved by the love shown through diapers, toys, gift cards, and offers for babysitting.

I cannot begin to tell you what a joy it has been to open our home and share our love with one of God’s beloved children. It is my prayer that the love we share will give him a chance at a truly full and abundant life.

It is also my prayer that Joshua’s presence among us may inspire someone else to hear God’s call to foster parenting. I realize that such a ministry is a big step and one not to be entered into lightly. I also realize that there are some people who are truly equipped and called to such a ministry and that there are many children who need them.

On Thursday, December 7th, at 7 p.m. in room 143, I will host Robyn Detert of the Corpus Christi Outreach office of Methodist Children’s Home along with Rhonda Dyer from the San Antonio office for an informational meeting about Methodist Children’s Home’s foster care program. This meeting will, of course, in no way obligate you. So, even if you are just a little curious about the program, please come. If you have any friends or family members who have thought about foster care, please bring them along. The meeting is open to anyone who wants to learn more about what MCH is doing to place children in need in loving homes.

If you have any questions about the meeting, about foster parenting, or about Methodist Children’s Home, please feel free to contact me directly at pastorwillrice@gmail.com.

peace,

will

Monday, November 13, 2006

Live from San Antonio... This Week's Sermon!

The audio version will have to wait until I am back in Corpus Christi, but here is the link to the text version of this week's sermon. If you were at the 11:00 worship service this week, it may seem a little different since we didn't have communion this week at that service.

Sermon #32 - What Do You Want?


peace,

will

Sunday, November 12, 2006

A little delay

For those of you who like to read or listen to the sermon online, it will be a little late this week, unless I get an unexpected rush of motivation in the next couple of hours. I am off in the morning for a conference on new church development in San Antonio. That is piggy backing on my regularly two days of Covenant Connection which will be in San Antonio as well this month. (Saving me the rest of the drive to Kerrville.

I may be able to get the text version posted from up there, but the audio version requires me being in the home studio.

May you have a blessed week.

peace,

will

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Another picture in search of a caption

I guess it needs to be put in context. I was at our annual Blessing of the Animals.

The only thing that comes to mind is:

"Heal!"

peace,

will

Sunday Preview - You Get it First Because You Read the Weblog!

Sunday Preview

November 12, 2006

Scripture: Mark 10:46-52

Sermon Title: “What do you want?”

What would you do if God stood right before you and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” Could you answer that question? Or would you stammer about waiting for God to pass by?

This Sunday we will be reading the story of blind Bartimaeus. I hope that in it, we can hear God reaching out to us, and we can begin to allow God to truly be at work in our lives.

Don’t forget, text and audio versions of my sermons are available at gracesermons.blogspot.com. Printed copies of sermons can be found in the glass way at the church.

peace,

will

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Velvet Elvis

I just finished reading Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis, Repainting the Christian Faith. My friend Bryan recommended this book a while back and it took me a while to get to it. I wish I had read it sooner. Bryan did not steer me wrong.

I want to talk about this book by recommending it to two groups of people:

Group 1 - You should read this book if you are looking for meaning in your life but are not quite sure that Christianity holds the meaning that you are looking for. That might mean that you are not involved in a church or you are involved in one but aren't really sure if it is connecting you to reality you seek.

Group 2 - You should read this book if Christianity does hold meaning for you but you wonder why others, especially young people don't share your view. If you are the parent of a teen or young adult and can't figure out why they won't connect with what the church is doing or if you can't understand why your young friends want nothing to do with the church, read what Rob Bell has to say.

Rob Bell is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan, one of the fastest growing churches in American history. Mars Hill is a little different than a lot of fast growing churches. Many of the super-mega churches push a very black and white, fundamentalist theology. In Bells book, he paints a picture of a much more progressive, very grace-filled theology. His theology and spirituality makes room for questions, makes room for differences of opinion and makes plenty of room for the unconditional love of God that we call Grace.

Rob is also an excellent writer. This book is very accessible and actually a lot of fun to read. Check it out.

peace,

will

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

The glamorous Life of a Pastor

I know the life a pastor seems pretty ho-hum, but some days are just sheer excitement. Here are some of the things I did today:

  • Took our dog Violet to the vet to see why she is wetting her bed. (At least she is not wetting my bed.) Got some pills that may stop her from wetting her bed.
  • Washed Violet and her bed.
  • Went with Alisha and Joshua to vote. Joshua couldn't vote, but he did make a lot of noise in the polling place which may have affected someone else's vote. (Raising the question: are people who are casting their vote while a child is crying more likely to vote democrat, republican or independent.
  • Worked on Sunday's bulletin and tonight's Disciple class while eating a frozen dinner. (It wasn't frozen as I was eating it.)
  • Spent a really long time in a staff meeting.
  • Made four phone calls.
  • Sent some emails.
  • Checked my weblog only to find I hadn't posted in a while, so created a post based on the events of my day.
It may all sound a little ordinary, but Tuesday nights are very cool. I lead Disciple Bible Study on Tuesday evenings and it is really one of the best parts of my job. I am looking forward to that.

Here is hoping that today and everyday, you get to see the glorious presence of God, even in the ordinary stuff of your day.

peace,

will

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

A Random Selection from the Bookshelf

Half-Price Books is a dangerous place for me. While I am there, I find lots of books that I didn't even know I needed. This was one of them.

I was intrigued years ago when I heard people talk about the strange interview questions companies like Microsoft used. I once heard that someone was asked, "How many square feet of astro turf are there in the United States?" I don't know if anyone actually knows the answer to that questions, but that wasn't the point. The point was, how would you figure it out? Who uses astro turf? Mainly sports teams. It is rather expensive so it would probably be mostly in arenas of big professional or college teams right? How many of those are there? How many of those use astro turf over real grass? How many dome stadiums are there? How many square feet are on each field? These are the sort of questions that help you start to make an estimate and the sort of thinking that interviewers are checking you out on.

The basis of William Poundstone's How Would You Move Mount Fuji, Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle is those sort of interview puzzles, where they came from and what purpose they serve. The more fun part is that he gives a ton of examples and the solutions. I am told that Microsoft has moved away from the puzzle based interview. (Perhaps largely due to people preparing for it with books like this.) Still, this book is fun, especially if you like really challenging puzzles, some with definite answers, some without. Here are some of them:

How would you weigh a jet plane without scales?
Why do mirrors reverse right and left instead of upside down?
How many piano tuners are there in the world?
How many times a day do a clock's hands overlap?

I like this one:

You have eight billiard balls. One of them is "defective," meaning it weighs more than the others. How do you tell, using a balance, which ball is defective in two weighings?

I do realize that finding these sorts of things fun, puts me in a certain category of geek. However, I have lots of company.

peace,

will

Josh's first Halloween

The pumpkin was supposed to be for the candy, but it made a great hat.

Church Transformation

It is not too late to take advantage of the Church Transformation Training Workshop with Don Nations. I think it would be really great for as many people as possible from Grace to hear Don speak about how we can reach more people with the Gospel.

Don is going to be in Three Rivers tomorrow with great seminars in the morning, afternoon and evening. Even if you can only go to one it will be worth it. Here are some of the topics:

9:30-10:15 Introduction to Church Transformation For all interested lay persons.

10:45-12:00 Understanding Yourself and Others thru the DISC, an instrument that will help you identify your natural style of leadership and how you motivate others. For all interested lay persons.

1:00-2:30 Effective Ways to Reach your Community Especially for Welcoming, Church Growth, Outreach, Evangelism teams, but open to anyone.

OR

Designing Great Worship - Especially for Worship Teams, Pastors, Praise Band leaders, but open to anyone.

2:45-4:15 The What and Why of Evangelism - Especially for local church Welcoming, Church Growth, Outreach, Evangelism, anyone interested in seeing their church reach out to people.

6:30-8:00 Hospitality Workshop - Especially designed for Welcoming Teams and anyone interested in reaching the un-churched; it has been scheduled in the evening to optimize attendance by laity.

Let me know if you are interested in going and need more info. You can call the office or send me an email.