new liturgy

I'm loving the Call to Worship, written by Cheryl Lawrie, that we are using right now at House:

We’re here because we’re people who have heard a rumor that there’s life to be found on the other side of death.

We’re here because just the rumor is enough to bring us hope and just the hope is enough to bring us a moment of life.

We’re here because even though it is only a flicker, a moment, a breath it’s changed our death forever.

Sometimes, that rumor is just enough to keep me going.

faith shift

I've experienced somewhat of a shift in my faith the past several months. Again. And likely (hopefully) not the last. Difficult to articulate, it has something to do with a desire to 'be' or 'do' the gospel, as opposed to hearing a different spin on the gospel. There's more to it than that, but that's what I know today.

This has been most evident in my lack of engagement at so-called evangelical gatherings, where the message was presented by a speaker to a captive audience. On two separate occasions lately, I was hugely under-whelmed, when in times past I would have been totally engaged and on track with the presenter. It has been a bit disappointing. The times that I have been engaged, particularly when I look at what resonated with me the most at Greenbelt, speak to this as well.

No, I'm not losing faith. And you need not worry that I am not reading the latest Christian book. I'm not. And I likely won't be any time soon. But I am leaving a little more room for Jesus.

Communion Bread

Posting our HFASS communion bread recipe here for future reference.

Bread Recipe

Sift dry ingredients together three times:

2 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour
1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 & 1/4 tsp salt

Stir in 4 tsp oil. Set aside.

Mix wet ingredients together until dissolved:

3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp very hot water
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp molasses

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well. Dough should be slightly sticky. Do not knead.

Divide into four balls and flatten each into a 1/4 inch thick disk.

With a knife, score the top of each loaf into eight pie-shaped sections, so that the sections can be more easily broken off while serving. Alternatively, you could score a cross onto the loaf.

Lay the loaves on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush the tops of the loaves with oil. Bake an additional 5-8 minutes. Let cool.

pentecost, bluegrass style

a parable about cheese

Check out this post over at God's Politics by my friend, Nadia. Best parable you'll read all day.