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Go: Memphis Chris Altrock & David Jordan November 11, 2018

This entry is part [part not set] of 4 in the series Go

 

Wednesday night saw another mass shooting in our nation. Twelve people were killed at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, CA. This followed the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27 when 11 were killed in an attack fueled by anti semitism.  That was followed by Lion Air’s tragic crash of an airliner into the Java Sea shortly after take off, resulting in the loss of all 189 passengers. These have been difficult days.Read More »Go: Memphis Chris Altrock & David Jordan November 11, 2018

Hush: How to Tell if God’s Speaking Chris Altrock – Oct. 28, 2018

I remember my first few years in my job. I felt like I was constantly calling people who knew more than I did, asking for advice. I’d call Allen Black, now dean of Harding School of Theology, with questions about texts I was preaching or teaching. I’d call Harold Shank, former preacher at Highland, with questions about a sermon series. I’d call Evertt Huffard, former dean at Harding School of Theology, with questions about how to handle leadership issues. I felt like I often didn’t know what to do and thus I’d search out someone whom I felt probably would know what to do–someone with far more experience, wisdom and perspective than me.

It seems to me that a lot of us are in a similar spot when it comes to life. Life’s always throwing us something we’re just not quite prepared for. No amount of school–academic or hard knocks–can prepare us for everything. And it’s not uncommon for us to find ourselves facing situations where we’re just not sure what to do. Do we take the treatment the doctor’s recommending or get a second opinion? Do we quit that job that’s stressing us out or just keep pressing on? What do we do with that challenging child? How do we care for that aging parent? What do we say to a friend who has a drug addiction or eating disorder? How do we deal with feelings of same sex attraction?Read More »Hush: How to Tell if God’s Speaking Chris Altrock – Oct. 28, 2018

Uproot: The Sin of Sloth Chris Altrock – 9/16/18

This entry is part [part not set] of 1 in the series Uproot

On March 25, 1942 iconic musician Aretha Franklin was born in this home in Memphis, TN. Franklin went on to become the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2008 she won her 18th Grammy Award, making her one of the most honored artists in Grammy history. She passed away earlier this year.

The Franklin house is located near the south Memphis neighborhood called Soulsville, a once prominent, working-class African-American neighborhood where numerous legendary soul music artists lived and worked from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Soulsville is now home to some of the most impoverished zip codes in the U.S. In 2012 the city deemed the 1,100 foot Franklin home a nuisance. It was slated for demolition in 2016 because of disrepair.

It’s a sad reminder of what happens when a home isn’t given the nurture and care needed. When it comes to a structure like a house, you can’t just construct it and then leave it. Without ongoing attention, without constant effort applied to its upkeep, the house will fall apart.

The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us of this truth when he writes this: “Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.” (Eccl. 10:18 ESV) There’s a word, the writer notes, for that tendency we humans have for not providing a structure like a home to ongoing upkeep and care it requires. That word is sloth. Sloth isn’t merely laziness. Sloth is anything that keeps us from attending to the nurture and care of something that requires constant upkeep, like a home.Read More »Uproot: The Sin of Sloth Chris Altrock – 9/16/18

The Ministry of Giving (Luke 8:1-3) Chris Altrock – 7/22/18

As a preadolescent, I had very few experience in church. One of those rare experiences stands out. I remember attending church services one time with friends of my family. We were visiting them at their home in another city. They were church goers, so we went to church with them on the Sunday we were at their home. They had a son who was about the same age as me and my twin brother. He acted as a kind of guide, providing running commentary during the worship service, so we’d know what to do.

When it came time for the contribution, he was particularly helpful. I’d never experienced the contribution before, and I didn’t know what to do. My parents hadn’t adequately prepared us. They hadn’t provided Craig and I any coins or bills to put in the wicker baskets that were now making their way down the pews, marching inevitably toward us. And everyone else, it seemed, was putting something in the baskets. No one, it seemed, was just passing the basket to the person next to them without dropping something into the basket. This was long before the days of electronic giving when someone might be assumed to have arranged his or her giving through direct deposit. Everyone in this congregation was dropping coins or bills into these baskets. And I was feeling an increasing amount of pressure to do something when the basket came to me, to drop something in it. But I had nothing to put in it! Not a penny. Not a crayon. Not even a piece of paper on which I could scratch out to God an “I. O. U.” And those baskets were getting closer. My heart was racing. Sweat droplets were forming on my brow. What was I going to do?Read More »The Ministry of Giving (Luke 8:1-3) Chris Altrock – 7/22/18