This Week's Sermon - Text and Audio

I have worked most of the bugs out of the audio version of the sermon. The sermon from Sunday is now posted in a text version and in an audio version. For the audio version, you now have three ways of listening. You can listen using the little built in player. You can download the MP3 file or you can subscribe to the podcast. If you are technically inclined, feel free to email me and let me know how it is all working.

Sermon #25 - When Rejection is a Good Thing
Sermon #25 - Audio Version
Subscribe to the Podcast(note this link may look like gibberish to you if you are not into podcasting)

All this technology is a bit of an experiment. I am hoping that it will help some people stay connected when they can't be in church. I am also hoping that it may help some people get a chance to "check out" Grace. Sometimes people are searching but not quite ready to come through the doors. I hope this may be a way for them to see what we are about. I also hope that it may be a way to extend our reach and bring the message to people who are geographically far away. If you listen to or read the sermons, I would love to hear your comments about how they are helpful to you.

peace,

will

Just for Fun

Every one in a while, I read a book just for fun. I found Michael Crichton's Prey on a sale rack and picked it up. Crichton is always good for a fun adventure. What always drives me batty about his writing though is the odd little factual problems in the books. Sometimes it is like the editor just isn't paying attention. They are never a big deal, but telling a story is about suspending disbelief and when you have an unnecessary inconstancy, it pulls me out of the story. If the author needs to bend truth to make the story work, fine, but when the facts get fuzzy for no good reason it bothers me.

I was going to give an example, but frankly it would take me a while to set it up. If you have Prey, check out the sequence involving the dirt bike on page 228 (hardcover edition). Have you ever seen a motorized dirt-bike in the back of a Land Cruiser? This isn't a mini-bike, he uses it haul people through the desert later on.

Anyway, despite that a fun read.

peace,

will

my space at Myspace

I am always trying to find new ways to communicate both with members of the congregation and with anyone who might be interested in the world changing message of grace. So, I now have my own space on Myspace.

If you are a Myspace person, check me out at:

http://www.myspace.com/pastorwillrice

And add me as a friend. I don't have many yet.

peace,

will

Ask and Ye Shall Receive - Podcasting

Someone requested a podcast of my sermons and I love making people happy. If you don't know what a podcast is, don't worry, they will soon take over the world. There is a link to subscribe on the sermons website:

Pastor Will's Sermons

Just scroll down and you will see the XML link on the left sidebar. I just tried it out in iTunes and it seems to work well. Let me know if you have any problems. I will move the link to a more obvious place once I am sure it is all working well.

peace,

will

Methodist Children's Home

I want to thank Astria Smith from the Methodist Children's Home in Waco, along with Jessica, one of the residents who shared so a powerful witness in worship today!

If you want to learn about Methodist Children's Home, you can check out their website.

Methodist Children's Home, Waco, Texas


peace,

will

Audio Sermon

I have finally worked out most of the kinks and posted the first audio sermon. I get a lot better sound quality recording it at home rather than relying on a cassette tape recorded during worship. That still leaves some questions about how to post Pastor John's sermons.

The link will take you to my sermon page. You can listen to the sermon using the little embedded player or you can download it using the MP3File link. Let me know if you run into any technical glitches.

Sermon #24 - Audio Version

I also now have the capability of setting up a podcast of the sermons. Let me know if that would be helpful. (If you don't know what a podcast is, don't worry.)

peace,

will

Prayer 101

When we join the church, we promise to support it with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service. We tend to talk quite a bit about presence, gifts and service. However, the church doesnÂ’t do enough to help people to develop a deep and meaningful prayer life.

Join me for a two week class that covers some of the obstacles to prayer, takes a biblical look at prayer and offers practical models and methods to help you begin or deepen your conversation with God.

The classes will be held Tuesday, July 18th and 25th from 6:30-9p.m. Everything is free. Please register by Monday, July 17th. We can provide childcare if you register in advance. You can register by email: pastorwillrice@gmail.com. Let me know in the e-mail if you will need childcare.

peace,

will

New Feature

In my endless quest to make this blog more interesting for you the reader, I have added a new feature. If you scroll down a bit and keep your eye on the right column, you will see "What Will is Reading Now." I regularly post about books I have recently read, but sometimes there is large gap between those posts, especially when I am reading more than one, or two or three books at once.

Hopefully the audio sermons will start appearing later this week.

peace,

will

Happy Holiday

I hope you are enjoying your celebration of our nation's independence. I have been putting the time off to constructive use, cleaning up and fixing up things around the house, running errands, etc.

I also took some time to get things set up so that I can finally start posting audio versions of the Sunday sermons again. I think I am going to go back and post my last sermon just to try the process out and then start posting them each week that I preach. It may take a little longer to start getting John's posted, but I will see what I can do.

Happy 4th!

peace,

will

On the Road Again

It still surprises me how much I drive now that I live in Texas. My colleague John got married today in San Antonio. (Not our Pastor John, he already got married some years back.) Alisha and I got up this morning, drove to San Antonio, went to the wedding, got something to eat and drove back.

I don't mind so much, but that stretch from the outside of San Antonio to the outside of Corpus makes me sleepy.

For those readers who live in Corpus, I hope you are enjoying the rain. My grass certainly is.

peace,

will

A Little History

I have been a bit out of my reading routine lately. I have been getting through plenty of magazines, reading the newspaper and plenty of online stuff, I haven't finished a book in a while. Today, I finished, My Brother Lyndon by Sam Houston Johnson.

The book is out of print, but amazon.com can set you up with a used copy.

I picked up my copy at used book store in New Mexico. Somewhere in my father's house is an autographed copy. It seems my grandfather used to run with Sam Johnson (and a little bit with Lyndon) in Texas political circles. It is said the Sam used to babysit my aunts.

This is probably one of the most candid books on historical politics ever done. Johnson wrote it the year after his brother left office. It is a bit jarring in its literary style, the storyline jumps around, a lot. But it is rare and different perspective of LBJ, Texas politics, the Kennedys and even a bit about Vietnam.

One of the most interesting parts of the whole book is Johnson's nearly prophetic view of the changing face of politics in the light of the new media:

More than ever before, the 1960 campaign emphasized the crucial importance of big money in politics. Television had become the most effective (sometimes the only) contact between the voters and the candidates, on local as well as national elections; and that's a medium that gobbles up money like a dollar slot machine in Vegas. Inevitably, this need for bigger and bigger money will taint the political process. When a candidate has to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars from a single fat cat, can anyone seriously believe those big contributors are merely interested in good government.

Sam Houston Johnson died in 1978 so he never knew how right on he was.

peace,

will

You Would Be Crabby Too...

...if someone had just picked up your house. We found this hermit crab wandering the beach on our last kayaking journey.

They are pretty amazing creatures. This one is just about to grow out of his shell and will soon go looking for a new shell to live in.

peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

This week's sermon is posted:

Sermon #24 - Two Stories about Seeds and a Really Big Tree

It took me a while this morning to sort out what I intended to say from what I really said. The written copy is somewhere in between.

As always, your thoughts, questions and comments are always welcome!

peace,

will

A different view of Corpus Christi

Alisha and I enjoy occasionally seeing Corpus Christi from a different angle. We try to get out as often as we can in the kayak and enjoy the view from the water.

We got a chance to get out for a couple hours Friday and launch off North Beach. We got to cruise around the Lex, which looks especially large when you are actually floating next to it.

will

She has a home

I am glad to announce that the dog (who had been temporarily named Snowball II) has been reuninted with her family. We were just starting to get used to her!

will

Is this your dog?

If you live in my neighborhood, perhaps you recognize this dog. I hope that you might help me reuninte her with her family. She has had a bath and is doing quite well, but she belongs somewhere else. Call or email if you have any ideas.

peace,

will

She is Not Staying!

Two dogs, two turtles and two people are enough. The little dog that followed Alisha home this morning is not staying! She is a cute little grey and white dog, but we are hoping her owners claim her soon.

peace,

will

Statement by Episcopal Church Bishop

I just caught this in the Reuters news site:

Episcopal Church Says Homosexuality Not a Sin


peace,

will

Working Hard

This past week was Sea City Work Camp week here at Grace. It is an amazing experience to have 100 youth living at the church for a week while they spend their days out working on homes. I got to go out to the sites a bit this year. I filled in on Tuesday and Thursday running supplies to the work sites.

The photo is of Mike Boggs and me working hard. We were either figuring out what part I needed to run and get him or deciding if it was time for lunch.

peace,

will

Genomes and God

Since I was talking about particle spin and the Trinity this past Sunday, I thought you might find the following article of interest.

I’ve found God, says man who cracked the genome

peace,

will