Matter has mass and occupies volume. We are calling our new blog “Matter” because we want to promote the impact and the contribution, the mass and the volume, that our local parish church can and must have in the community. Matter is also the name of our upcoming conference. Designed and presented for our own […]
Category: Making Church Matter
Welcome to my new blog, which we’re launching to accompany some important news. We promised one announcement this evening, but actually, there are two. First, the news we are most happy about: our book is finished. Both Tom, my associate, and I have been discussing a book for years, mostly as a fantasy. More recently […]
If you were with us this past weekend, you know it was pretty special. Here are (just some) of the highlights: 1. Ministry Leaders worshiping together on Friday evening. 2. The band on Friday evening (which is also our new band for the Sunday evening Mass) and their amazing music. 3. The second week of […]
In our world, the first Sunday after Labor Day is usually the one when we get our stride back. That’s why we call it our “fall launch.” Anyway, that’s this weekend and I am so excited because it is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Even the massive distraction of the Ravens-Steelers game […]
Just heard this week’s message (listened in on Tom’s practice) and it is going to be a very strong conclusion to our current and final message series of the summer, “Do This.” Don’t miss it. We’re still talking about the Mass. Tom is focusing on the Liturgy of the Eucharist, especially the communion that we […]
This is week two of our current message series, taking a look at the Mass. Today we’re looking at the Liturgy of the Word (liturgy means work). At Mass we read the Scripture, but not in a linear way from Genesis to Revelation. Instead it comes in cycles, that are repeated every three years. Interestingly, […]
This weekend we kick off a new four week series all about the Mass, we’re calling it “Do This” because the Mass is something Jesus told us to do. In fact, it’s the last thing he told us to do before he died. The series also anticipates the new Roman Missal (if you need to […]
I returned to the office this week and, gradually, to my usual schedule. I still won’t be speaking this weekend though. As it turned out, Tom ended up doing the entire series we are currently in (on the Old Testament) and will be wrapping up this weekend. I am very grateful to him for an […]
Regular readers of this blog will remember my promise to finish the book this summer (the book Tom and I have been working on for about a year, and talking about for a lot longer than that). I even vowed to stay here in Avalon until the project was complete. One anonymous commentator to the […]
It’s hot in Avalon. Too hot for the beach, or for much of anything else. Fortunately, the heat provides even more incentive for me to sit tight, in a cool spot, and continue to plow away at “the book.” Our working title, by the way, is called “Beyond Retail Religion.” This past week I rewrote […]
