http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com On faith, discernment, church, and discovering the treasure of your life Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:31:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When I first started working with college students on vocation discernment, we were guided by Three Key Questions: What gives me joy? Am I good at it? Who needs me to do it? In my work and ministry since then, I have often talked more about joys and gifts than ... http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com/2011/10/29/who-needs-me-to-do-it/ This has been my longest blog-silence since I started writing several years ago, but I’ll claim this reason: I’m a grad student once again, this time studying for a Masters degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. It’s not where I thought I’d be at this point ... http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com/2011/06/20/the-treasure-hunt-never-ends/ In worship at my congregation we try to engage all of the senses, but that’s not easy. Hearing is the easiest one to engage in traditional Lutheran worship; that’s what we tend to do best. But when we get out of that comfort zone--how do I put this?--cool things happen. ... http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com/2011/04/18/how-we-rocked-palm-sunday/ Also last year, we asked some questions about how people come to belong (to this congregation, in the Christian Church, with the Lutheran tradition, etc.) We began a brand new ministry called “Journey with Christ” (in the tradition of the catechumenate, preparing adults for baptism or affirmation of baptism), and ... http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com/2011/03/21/question-ing-ministry-part-2/ I’m seeing lately how much ministry and church life are characterized by the questions we are asking, perhaps even more than by the ways we are answering them. Each year about this time I have to write an Annual Report as a church staff member. This time, rather than just ... http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com/2011/03/16/question-ing-ministry-part-1/ “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” That’s what many Christians heard yesterday on Ash Wednesday as their foreheads were marked with ash in the sign of the cross. Ever since I was very young, I have found this ritual powerfully encouraging. Yes, I know that ... http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com/2011/03/10/welcome-to-the-humus-race/ The annual women's retreat is coming up at my church, and the theme this year is "Connections: Belonging to God, Others, and Ourselves." So I have "belonging" on my mind, and maybe that's why I recently noticed the "sorting hat" in the Harry Potter stories by J. K. Rowling in ... http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com/2011/02/21/where-we-belong-sorting-hat-style/ I spent last weekend on the California coast with a group of college students on a retreat called "Seeking Your Calling, Finding Yourself." I've been leading such retreats for more than seven years now, and while every group is different, it's interesting to see how certain themes keep surfacing and ... http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com/2011/02/10/becoming-a-better-lover/ Many things related to "welcome" are crossing my path these days. With last Sunday celebrated as "Welcome Sunday" by many in the Reconciling in Christ community and this recent thought-provoking blog post by Pastor Keith Anderson, I have been pondering what it takes for someone to feel "welcome"--in particular, welcome ... http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com/2011/02/02/hello-youre-welcome-to-belong/ One of the reasons I'm grateful to belong with Martin Luther's spiritual heirs is the inheritance of his preaching about grace. I rely on his unshaking focus on what God has done in Jesus and does through the Holy Spirit, in my life as well as in my preaching. So, ... http://newhousesfromoldbricks.com/2011/01/25/grace-requirement-micah-annie-dillard/