Armchair Theology – Page 6

Sermon of Lego Discipleship

2014/05/14 Gayle 4

I was asked to speak on May 4th 2014 at St Paul’s UMC in Carolina Beach. After considerable thought I decided to speak on Lego and our successful Lego Club ministry. I was pleased with this concept and set about to write my words. But the words were not coming. Then on a trip to Lake Junaluska (a 7 hour car trip with four middle school aged kids), Shawn, my minister, suggested, after hearing my story about how getting out of the pew changed my life, that “getting out of the pew” should be my topic. I wasn’t convinced and continued to struggle with Lego words and nothing seemed to fit together into a message. With reluctance, on Friday (yes, the Friday just before May The rest of the story

Not from your Bellybutton or Dryer….Lent

2014/03/05 Gayle 0

I had never in my life considered giving up something for lent. I actually have thought for most of my life (okay, until last week) that it was a silly practice that some weird religions practiced. And lets be honest – the people who always talk about ‘giving up something for lent’ rarely seem like the embodiment of Christ. It is usually some raging alcoholic (or close enough no one knows the difference) who gives up the drink for Lent then spends 40 days whining over Facebook (or twitter). Or your buddy who gives up Facebook (or twitter) but is dying to know ‘what’s happening’ from you always (so much so you want to just give them a ‘like’ sign). However, recently I began to The rest of the story

The Burning Bush

2013/11/12 Gayle 2

EXODUS 3:1-5 New International Version (NIV) 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Last The rest of the story

I Am the Sheep and I Need to be Fed

2013/03/04 Gayle 2

I recently saw a graphic about ‘The Church’ and the role of that entity for feeding its parishioners. This is the graphic which was posted to facebook: Now, I understand the graphic. I’m not even sure I disagree with the sentiment it really expresses. However, there is something about it that just didn’t quite sit right with me. Then this past Friday it all became clear to me. On Friday I woke up grumpy! My grumpy quickly escalated to down right mean. I was so irritated even I was having trouble being around me. Eventually Jenn says ‘you need protein’ – Then that little light bulb over my head went off! I NEEDED protein. You see, I started a new diet and The rest of the story

God, Enoch and Me

2013/01/14 Gayle 0

…and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Genesis 5:23-24 Yesterday, I attended the first of a 10-week study on the book Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by Tom Wright (affiliate link). One of the questions posed in the study guide (as an aside I detest study guides, unless they are only used if the discussion gets stuck or no one is participating) was “What stories in the Bible make you think of what it’s like to have a relationship with God?” (Maybe that really wasn’t exactly the question, but as I learned from Dr. Dibble at Milligan College – If you don’t know the answer to the question asked, answer a similar question where you do know the The rest of the story