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Author Archives: bruceinlouisville
Lection Reflection: Processing the Transfiguration
This week’s passage is a very familiar one, and has been written and preached about so many times that there is not much for me to add. I will note, though, a couple of things that struck me. Continue reading
New poem — “The Taking of Jim Smith’s Life”
Short, fun, doggerel — but also true. Read it here.
Gluttony — We Don’t Talk About It, But We Still Do It
(A Lection Reflection on I Corinthians 6:12) It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a sermon, or a sermon series, on The Seven Deadly Sins. Perhaps the list and the concept are seen by some as “too Catholic.” Perhaps … Continue reading
The Work of Christmas
For this morning’s Ephiphany service, we sang a setting of this poem by Howard Thurman. I did not know this poem, or this setting, until we practiced it a few weeks ago — but the first time we sang it, I cried. It is beautiful, moving, and pointed. May we spend 2015 doing the work of Christmas. Continue reading
Posted in Values, Faith, and Church
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Seeing Others As Zeros (Luke 18:9)
Years ago, there was a certain band-director who was known for building a winning program, no matter what it took. One tactic he used was to take coat hangers and shape them into a circle, with the hangar part made … Continue reading
Posted in Lection Reflections
Tagged lection, Lectionary, Luke, Pharisee, self-righteous
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The Muse Bank
I have long had an on-again, off-again relationship with Morning Pages (MP). Even though I am a big, big fan of Julia Cameron and The Artist’s Way, as someone who works a regular job for a living and writes on … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and the Arts
Tagged Artist's Way, journaling, Julia Cameron, morning pages, Muse
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Stop Being So Damn Needy!
(a Lection Reflection on Luke 14) There’s a great scene in Stephen King’s memoir On Writing where he describes an incident between himself and his wife Tabitha, who is also an accomplished author in her own right. They were taking … Continue reading
Are We Part of the Oppression?
OK, let’s cut to the chase. This week’s lections have two readings that present an easy-peasy contrast: Isaiah 58 and Luke 13. The Isaiah passage addresses religious people who act out the stage play of their religion (holding fasts), but … Continue reading
Can We Get a Grown-Up View of Faith?
(A Lection Reflection on Hebrews 11) Years ago, I read a book that immediately went onto my “key books” bookshelf: Good to Great by Jim Collins. The author and his team of researchers looked at pairs of companies in the … Continue reading