Browsing by Sharron R. Blezard
The Hundred Pound Life
Could you reduce the trappings of your life to 100 pounds and two suitcases? Sounds like a tall order, indeed! Read on for more about the hundred pound life.
The Connection Between Money and Happiness
Lectionary Reflection, 18th Sunday after Pentecost, September 26, 2010
Does money equate to happiness? According to the results of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, the answer is yes…to a point. The Christian, however, may want approach this equation from a somewhat different perspective. (Photo by Aart van Bezooyen used under a Creative Commons License. Thanks!)
Lost in Transaction
17th Sunday after Pentecost, September 19, 2010
Lectionary Reflection
Don’t let this Sunday’s texts pass by as casually as another retail transaction. We have an opportunity to open conversation and talk about how careful stewardship may affect all of God’s children in real and meaningful ways.
Let’s Start the Party and Show a Little Joy!
Lectionary Reflection
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 12, 2010
Isn’t it time we quit our mumbling and grumbling and let joy be the defining mark of our discipleship and gratitude for being sought and found by God?
Are You Kidding Me, Jesus?
Lectionary Reflection, 15th Sunday after Pentecost, September 5, 2010
Hey, Jesus, you really want me to stand up in front of a congregation and preach this text? Are you kidding me? Most people will hear this text with enough law-lensed baggage to stop their ears. As preachers and teachers, we need to lift up the grace and hope that comes with living “cross-wise” in the world.
Shopping: Drug of Choice for the Masses?
‘JUST LIVING’ Blog
Does shopping really make everything better? Is our consumer economy sustainable? You be the judge and weigh in with your experiences and opinions.
Don’t be Puttin’ on Airs!
August 29, 2010, 14th Sunday after Pentecost
Lectionary Reflection
Do folks looking at our congregations from the outside see us putting on airs as 21st century Christians, or do they see an open invitation to full inclusion and participation? This week’s gospel lesson invites us to examine ourselves. Are we up to the task?
Preaching what we don’t Practice?
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 22, 2010
Lectionary Reflection
Are you bound in your preaching and teaching by a lack of consistent practice or by the cares of your parish and the world? This week’s texts invite us to be healed, to delight in God, and to rejoice.
Peace, Walls, and Fractured-Faith Forecasting
Lectionary Reflection
August 15, 2010, 12th Sunday after Pentecost
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” says the narrator in Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall.” Could that “something” be the gospel? We humans build walls that Jesus is in the business of shattering, but there is still pain and cost. How do we preach this text without throwing up additional walls?
“Ready, Set, Go!”
Lectionary Reflection
11th Sunday after Pentecost, August 8, 2010
As Christians, we need not live our lives steeped in fear and anxiety about what may happen. Instead we are called to be ready, to fully invest in faithful discipleship, and to live the good news so that all may see and know the love of God in Christ Jesus.
