Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Sermon: Pentecost 19 - Year A
On Monday we met to discuss what we were going to do. Either it was a HUGE coincidence or the work of the Holy Spirit, but we all had the SAME idea. We were going to minister to the folks at the most infamous, the dingiest, most dangerous bar in town – the Station Hotel. “That would be really cool,” we thought.
So, on Friday afternoon, we strapped on clerical collars, and the three of us, young, shiny, seminarians, wandered into...(the rest here)
NB: The link is fixed. Thanks Tom!
So, on Friday afternoon, we strapped on clerical collars, and the three of us, young, shiny, seminarians, wandered into...(the rest here)
NB: The link is fixed. Thanks Tom!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Tom in Ontario
Tom in Ontario is a fine Lutheran pastor who I know from my seminary daze. It turns out he has a blog. Here's a snippet:
I'm looking forward to many great posts, Tom!
The church that was holding the benefit concert for hurricane relief efforts ended up delaying the concert by two weeks and half of our quartet can't make it on that day so our group has disbanded before it even banded.
Sigh! I was looking forward to it. I thought it would be fun. Alas, perhaps it wasn't meant to be.
We have started choir practices at church though. My wife joined the choir this year. Now we're 5 sopranos, 2 altos (my wife doubled the size of the alto section), 1 tenor (me) and 1 bass. It's fun although our organist/choir director is somewhat challenged when it comes to organization. There have been threats of members quitting our already tiny choir because his lack of organization skills can be frustrating.
He's a good guy though. And the choir members like him. I like him too. Maybe it's an artistic thing because I've heard of other musicians lacking in that department.
Anyway, no quartet but I can sing with the choir. I gotta sing.
I'm looking forward to many great posts, Tom!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Simon Wiesenthal 1908-2005
'Conscience of the Holocaust,' Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal dies
"In a way, he became the permanent representative of the victims of the Holocaust, determined to bring the perpetrators of the greatest crime to justice." - Rabbi Marvin Hier
See also the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
"In a way, he became the permanent representative of the victims of the Holocaust, determined to bring the perpetrators of the greatest crime to justice." - Rabbi Marvin Hier
See also the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Honey, where's the dustpan?
About a month ago, without realizing what I was doing, I pulled out the vacuum cleaner and sucked up some sand that my two daughters brought in with them.
After the floor was clean, I filled up the kitchen sink and did the dishes.
After the kitchen became its shiny best, I did the same thing to my office. You can now see the floor.
My wife watched all this with her mouth gaping open. She was scared. But pleasantly so.
You have to understand, this is not like me. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a slob. A pig. Slovenly. That I luxuriate in my own crapulence.
But not now. Now I have an obsessive need to clean, organize, systematize, rank, and classify. I storm through the dishes the SECOND the last mouthful is swallowed. I run the vacuum cleaner through the house five times a week. I sweep my desk clean twice a day. I scrub, I shine, I bust dust.
I need to do this. I don’t know why.
It’s starting to freak me out.
My wife thinks it’s great. She says she feels like she’s on vacation.
My body feels like a nuclear reactor on overload. Or its the result of a deadline induced Red Bull binge. My limbs are awash with energy. But it’s not like the anxiety attacks I’d been having. I like this energy. My brain and body are in a constant race with each other, battling it out for supremacy.
I’m getting a lot of work done.
But I’m wondering if this is simply a result of growing up. I see my 36th birthday on this side of the horizon, and it’s telling me that I can’t be a kid anymore; that I need to put away childish things. That I need to contribute, to use my gifts, to do the best work that God has called me to do. This means that I need to be a better husband, better dad, better pastor, better friend, better neighbour, and better person.
Maybe my brain and body are giving me the tools to become who and what I want, and who and what God wants me to be.
Maybe.
After the floor was clean, I filled up the kitchen sink and did the dishes.
After the kitchen became its shiny best, I did the same thing to my office. You can now see the floor.
My wife watched all this with her mouth gaping open. She was scared. But pleasantly so.
You have to understand, this is not like me. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a slob. A pig. Slovenly. That I luxuriate in my own crapulence.
But not now. Now I have an obsessive need to clean, organize, systematize, rank, and classify. I storm through the dishes the SECOND the last mouthful is swallowed. I run the vacuum cleaner through the house five times a week. I sweep my desk clean twice a day. I scrub, I shine, I bust dust.
I need to do this. I don’t know why.
It’s starting to freak me out.
My wife thinks it’s great. She says she feels like she’s on vacation.
My body feels like a nuclear reactor on overload. Or its the result of a deadline induced Red Bull binge. My limbs are awash with energy. But it’s not like the anxiety attacks I’d been having. I like this energy. My brain and body are in a constant race with each other, battling it out for supremacy.
I’m getting a lot of work done.
But I’m wondering if this is simply a result of growing up. I see my 36th birthday on this side of the horizon, and it’s telling me that I can’t be a kid anymore; that I need to put away childish things. That I need to contribute, to use my gifts, to do the best work that God has called me to do. This means that I need to be a better husband, better dad, better pastor, better friend, better neighbour, and better person.
Maybe my brain and body are giving me the tools to become who and what I want, and who and what God wants me to be.
Maybe.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Monday, September 12, 2005
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Pentecost 17 - Year A
Peter was in one of his moods. This was no mere intellectual puzzle that Peter presented to Jesus. This was no theological conundrum. Bare-knuckled human relationships were at stake.
“How many times do I have to forgive those who’ve hurt me?” he asked Jesus. “How much garbage do I have to put up with before I can get back at folks?
Seven seemed to be a good, reasonable number, Peter thought. Even generous. It showed people that, yes, as a follower of Jesus, he was a forgiving person, but not letting himself become a full fledged doormat.
But Jesus offers no comfort. “Not...(the rest here)
“How many times do I have to forgive those who’ve hurt me?” he asked Jesus. “How much garbage do I have to put up with before I can get back at folks?
Seven seemed to be a good, reasonable number, Peter thought. Even generous. It showed people that, yes, as a follower of Jesus, he was a forgiving person, but not letting himself become a full fledged doormat.
But Jesus offers no comfort. “Not...(the rest here)
Friday, September 09, 2005
It's my blog-o-versary!
A year ago, after a brief conversation with my brother, I decided to check out some blogs. I didn’t know the medium at all. But it seemed that they were popping up everywhere.
I like to write to blow off steam. I like people reading what I write. I like forwarding interesting articles to friends and colleagues. I like when they do the same. The blog seemed like the perfect medium for me.
But, if truth be told, I started this blog on a whim. I was trying to comment on someone’s blog and I couldn’t do so without first registering with Blogger. Argh. I hate it when I have to hand out personal info just for the privilege of using something that’s free.
But I did it anyway. And on the dashboard I spotted a button labeled “create your own blog.” And Three minutes and 22 seconds later, “Kevin G Powell: Where faith, culture, and politics collide” was born.
(I threw in my middle initial (“G” for "George") not to sound like a pompous ass, but because I was hoping that such a moniker would distinguish me from the “other” Kevin Powell, the hip hop theorist. It didn’t work. I wonder if folks confuse the “other” Kevin with me.)
I’ve always been interested in politics. In fact, there was a time when I almost went into politics instead of music, before I ended up training for the ministry. Also, when I was in high school, I knew the names if all MPs and their ridings, as well as cabinet ministers and their portfolios. Classical music and politics. Yes, I was a nerd. No wonder I never got laid.
It wasn’t until I went to seminary that I became interested in the intersection or “collision” of faith and politics. While I strongly believe in the protective wall between church and state, I do believe there is a place for faith within the public sphere.
The best examples of religion and politics colliding are Martin Luther King Jr who provided the moral and spiritual foundation which was based on his reading of the Sermon on the Mount, for the civil rights movement.
Archbishop Oscar Romero, who offered his voice to the voiceless, courageously speaking out against government death squads and corruption that were keeping millions in El Salvador mired in poverty.
Gandhi, who inspired MLK’s reading of Matthew Chapters five and six, led a nation into freedom by using Christian principles of non-violence and love for enemy.
And many, many, many others who struggle 'till their fingers are raw, 'till their bodies collapse from exhaustion, 'till their lives are living examples of the kingdom of God alive in our world.
When faith and politics collide, it isn’t a partisan struggle. While I have been a member of two political parties in my 35 years (NDP and Liberal), I can’t ally myself too strongly, as a person of faith, with any partisan agenda. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; the measure of righteousness: justice, mercy, peace, self-giving, suffering love.
The collision of faith and politics happens in deeply intimate human relationships. Public policy happens best when the faces and stories of real human beings are seen and heard, celebrated and cherished.
I blog because it helps me remember and re-think how I relate to the world, as a pastor, as a parent,as a husband, and most importantly, as a human being. It helps me blow off intellectual steam. It forces me to think out loud. And it invites the world into the conversation. That way I can grow by learning from others.
It’s been a great ride so far.
NB: I've cleaned up the grammar, fixed the typoes, and added a word or two.
I like to write to blow off steam. I like people reading what I write. I like forwarding interesting articles to friends and colleagues. I like when they do the same. The blog seemed like the perfect medium for me.
But, if truth be told, I started this blog on a whim. I was trying to comment on someone’s blog and I couldn’t do so without first registering with Blogger. Argh. I hate it when I have to hand out personal info just for the privilege of using something that’s free.
But I did it anyway. And on the dashboard I spotted a button labeled “create your own blog.” And Three minutes and 22 seconds later, “Kevin G Powell: Where faith, culture, and politics collide” was born.
(I threw in my middle initial (“G” for "George") not to sound like a pompous ass, but because I was hoping that such a moniker would distinguish me from the “other” Kevin Powell, the hip hop theorist. It didn’t work. I wonder if folks confuse the “other” Kevin with me.)
I’ve always been interested in politics. In fact, there was a time when I almost went into politics instead of music, before I ended up training for the ministry. Also, when I was in high school, I knew the names if all MPs and their ridings, as well as cabinet ministers and their portfolios. Classical music and politics. Yes, I was a nerd. No wonder I never got laid.
It wasn’t until I went to seminary that I became interested in the intersection or “collision” of faith and politics. While I strongly believe in the protective wall between church and state, I do believe there is a place for faith within the public sphere.
The best examples of religion and politics colliding are Martin Luther King Jr who provided the moral and spiritual foundation which was based on his reading of the Sermon on the Mount, for the civil rights movement.
Archbishop Oscar Romero, who offered his voice to the voiceless, courageously speaking out against government death squads and corruption that were keeping millions in El Salvador mired in poverty.
Gandhi, who inspired MLK’s reading of Matthew Chapters five and six, led a nation into freedom by using Christian principles of non-violence and love for enemy.
And many, many, many others who struggle 'till their fingers are raw, 'till their bodies collapse from exhaustion, 'till their lives are living examples of the kingdom of God alive in our world.
When faith and politics collide, it isn’t a partisan struggle. While I have been a member of two political parties in my 35 years (NDP and Liberal), I can’t ally myself too strongly, as a person of faith, with any partisan agenda. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; the measure of righteousness: justice, mercy, peace, self-giving, suffering love.
The collision of faith and politics happens in deeply intimate human relationships. Public policy happens best when the faces and stories of real human beings are seen and heard, celebrated and cherished.
I blog because it helps me remember and re-think how I relate to the world, as a pastor, as a parent,as a husband, and most importantly, as a human being. It helps me blow off intellectual steam. It forces me to think out loud. And it invites the world into the conversation. That way I can grow by learning from others.
It’s been a great ride so far.
NB: I've cleaned up the grammar, fixed the typoes, and added a word or two.
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