Pastor Ballentine with Pastor and Mrs. Minja, outside the Mongai Parish church building.
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- Where sermons come from July 20, 2010Here’s the way it works. Weeks earlier, I’ve gone through the lectionary, paying attention to which of the three passage catches my attention. I jot down a few ideas of why the passage seems important. Then, on the Monday of the week that the passage is going to be read, I do my work with the commentaries, [...] […]Pastor
- Listening July 20, 2010For the second morning in a row, this morning, when the clock struck 4:00, I was instantly awake and alert. The verse that has come to mind is from 1 Samuel 3: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” I think it’s part of the discernment process in our search process for a new staff member. We’ve [...] […]Pastor
- George Steinbrenner July 14, 2010How interesting to read all the nice things being said about George Steinbrenner, now that he’s died. (Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a “George Steinbrenner Ruined Baseball” T-Shirt in a good while, since his quieter son took over.) Since I think of life in terms of Christianity, I keep returning to Paul’s lists [...] […]Pastor
- Under Judgment July 13, 2010It rained last night! The roads were too wet for me to ride my bike. (This is something that I did not realize until I was dressed, had filled a water bottle, had topped off the air in the tires, and had walked the bike down the driveway, and actually looked at the [...] […]Pastor
- Well, we need the rain … July 10, 2010The alarm went off a few minutes before 6:00 this morning. I needed time to prepare, before leaving for a 54-mile bicycle ride in Sussex County beginning at 9:00 this morning. To get to the starting point of the ride, in Waverly, I would need to be on the 7:40 ferry across the James; the 8:00 [...] […]Pastor
- We’re funny that way July 7, 2010So. Here in Virginia, June, 2010 was the second hottest June. Ever. And, June 2010 was the dryest June. Ever. Does that prove “global warming?” Nope. But isn’t it funny, that for weeks and weeks there hasn’t been a single letter or essay in the “Virginia Gazette” from those who think “global warming” is a hoax? (You [...] […]Pastor
- How I Spent My Summer (afternoon) June 25, 2010Sitting with the husband of a young woman who is on a ventilator, in the ICU, being tended by the very same nurse who took care of me when I was in the same ICU on a ventilator. Yup. That’s how I spent this afternoon: being present and prayerful for those in need, while trying not to be [...] […]Pastor
- Daily Centering June 23, 2010As the 5th century turned to the 6th, Christianity had been legal for nearly 200 years and many in the Church had become lazy. Many did not feel a sense of compelling mission from the Spirit. Resting on its comfortable position as an accepted institution in society, as the Roman empire crumbled in its own [...] […]Pastor
- A Member of the Family June 16, 2010I have officated at 184 funerals and memorial services. I have journeyed with many of those families through the illnesses of their loved ones, sitting at bedsides, offering prayers as their loved ones have died. With others, I’ve responded to the news of tragic accidents, helping them to deal first with the shock that God [...] […]Pastor
- Christian Community June 14, 2010What a significant congregational meeting we had yesterday. Big decisions on a $500,000 renovation project for our church building, including enlarging the narthex. A capital funds campaign for the next three years. Our leaders presented excellent information to give basis for the decisions. Some of us disagreed with the proposals. We shared honest opin […]Pastor
- Where sermons come from July 20, 2010
Recent Entries
- Where sermons come from
- Listening
- George Steinbrenner
- Under Judgment
- Well, we need the rain …
- We’re funny that way
- How I Spent My Summer (afternoon)
- Daily Centering
- A Member of the Family
- Christian Community
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- Bible Study of Sunday Passages
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- Spiritual Guidance For Anyone Seeking A Path To God
- Virginia Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- Young Adults! Who Is God Creating You To Be?
