It’s Sunday night and the winter weather is set to arrive Monday morning in North Louisiana. I saw a headline that suggested that every state in America was under some kind of winter warning. It is January, folks. Winter has arrived. There are people who do not enjoy winter, however, I choose to take delight in the cool temperatures as I remember the 100+ hellish drought-enhanced days of the summer of 2023. But that’s my perspective in Louisiana, where winter is an occasional guest that doesn’t stick around long. We don’t know how to drive in the snow and by the time we figure it out, it’s gone. For a couple of years. Hey, and thanks to several new subscribers … hope you enjoy the posts!
This past week at Forsythe Church of Christ I finished up my series on the Holy Spirit. Today I preached from Mark 4, which has three agricultural parables about seeds. If you are a subscriber to the Sermons From Forsythe Substack, you received those in your inbox. If you’re not, it’s an easy fix that won’t cost you anything. This coming Wednesday we will have a meal together, a monthly tradition. Next Sunday I’ll be preaching from Mark 5. (Yes, we are making our way through Mark’s Gospel.)
Today we started a new season of GriefShare at our church. I have been leading GriefShare groups for many years now, thanks to Royce and Carol Ogle. They were present in my life in a particularly difficult season and helped me to see the value of grief support and Christian love. It is both challenging and rewarding, painful and promising. I am grateful to have a good set of helpers. It is quite a privilege to be allowed into the most private of experiences in order to walk along with someone for a period of time. I never take that lightly.
READING
I’ve finished the first five of my goal of seventy-five books for 2024. The latest fiction was an audiobook by Robert Bailey called The Professor. It is a legal thriller and kept my attention all the way through, though I didn’t care for some of the language. It is the first in a series. I liked how a character from previous Bailey books showed up in this one. My next audiobook, which I started yesterday, is Steph Broadrib’s Death on the Beach, the third in her Retired Detectives Club series. I’ve enjoyed the cast of characters who are, you know, retired detectives. But so far the first one was the best one. I hope to finish N. T. Wright’s The Meal Jesus Gave Us: Understanding Holy Communion tomorrow. It’s not a large read, but at my level of intelligence, there’s no skimming N. T. Wright.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
MLK day is tomorrow, and like all holidays that come with time off, the time off becomes more a focus than the reason. But I hope that we will contemplate what the work of MLK and other pioneers of racial equality accomplished. Like all social ills, racial prejudice remains something we need to vigilantly be aware of and speak against. Many years ago living in the Mississippi Delta I wrote a church bulletin article about the sin of racial prejudice. One of the church elders called me into the office and instructed me never to write about that in the bulletin again. So, I sent a copy of it to Image Magazine, and they ran it. I felt a bit vindicated, but that experience was nothing compared to that which many African Americans have suffered. I wish I had some words of wisdom for us in the current climate. We need the profound voice of an MLK today, but I’m afraid our culture is so politically and morally polarized that I don’t know who would listen. I think it is up to the everyday person - without a podium or a speech - to treat everyone with kindness and respect. On a grassroots level, let us enact what Steve Sjodren called a ‘conspiracy of kindness’.
Rummaging around Substack… leave a heart when you visit! Here are a few posts I thought were extra good.
I liked Wade Hodges’ post on baptism called Step into the Water.
I laughed, compassionately, at Ron’s account of dealing with a bull HERE.
Jessamyn Rains’ reflections on being pure were so beautifully written HERE.
No More Night is Richard Myerscough’s excellent encouragement.
Chris Martin’s The Funnies … we all need a smile.
Funny… maybe.
I hope you have a good week ahead. Take care of yourselves! Thank you for reading. Work hard, rest well, and stay connected. The world needs you.
I really enjoy reading these. And thanks for the shout out!
I love winter! We lived in Northern Japan for 3 years so I had along period to enjoy it.