If you have been around a United Methodist Church for very long, chances are you have heard the phrase "The Body of Christ" used. It is a phrase we use to refer to the gathered community of faith. It is a way for us to talk about the church and the way each one of us is called to faithful living. But no local church, no matter how faithful, makes up the whole body of Christ. We are part of something larger than ourselves, we are part of the whole body of Christ all over the world.
We are part of a world-wide movement. The United methodist Church is a church that exists across the globe. The United Methodist Church is in over 125 different countries. As part of a local congregation of the United Methodist church, it is sometimes easy for us to get wrapped up in ourselves and to forget that we are only a small piece of the body of Christ. We sometimes forget that there are United Methodists across the globe that are also working toward building disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
But even the body of Christ is even bigger than the United Methodist Church. The body of Christ is composed of all Christians across the world, and throughout the ages. That means that every christian regardless of where they are, or when they live is part of the body of Christ. That's huge! It's pretty incredible to think that we are in our own small but meaningful way, part of such a large movement.
I have been thinking a lot about the body of Christ this past week because tomorrow at 3:30am a group from Calvary will be heading to the Dominican Republic. While we are there, we will be helping construct a building for a church that is currently worshiping God in the streets. These, our brothers and sisters in Christ, are as much a part of the body of Christ as we are. Sometimes it takes working along side of those who seem so different from us, to be reminded that God is powerfully at work around the world to bring about the transformation of the world. As different as we may be from one another, we are fundamentally the same. We are all apart of Christ's body in the world.
Please keep each of the team members in your prayers, and continue to check back here this next week for updates on what the body of Christ is upto in the Dominican Republic.
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About Me
- Barefoot Preacher
- I think to many people I am an anomaly. I am in my mid 20s, female, and a pastor. I like silly things like going for slurpee runs in the middle of the night. Yet if you ask what I'm thinking about, it's often things like would we recognize Jesus if he came back today or what does it really look like to truely embody God's love and grace? Anomaly or not, deep down we all have questions about life, faith, and God's interaction with us.
The BarefootPreach is...
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"Good" and "Bad" prayers15 years ago
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Books I'm currently reading
Five practices of Fruitful Congregations by Robert Schnase
- This book is about some practices that growing churches have in common. Provides some interesting things to think about. So far it's well worth the read.
Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier
- This is a good book for anyone who is going on a cross-cultural experience. I'm only about half-way through but it's very enlightening to see some of the differences in the way different cultures process and react to similar situations. Growing up in many different places, this book rings very true to my own personal experience.
Celtic Christian Communities by Ian Bradley
- This book takes a critical look at monastic communities and what we can incorporate from them into christian communities today. I'm not sure how good this book will be. I must admit, the primary reason that I picked up the book is because I've always been fascinated by Christianity in Ireland. There's something about it that I've always been drawn to.
UnChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons
- So far this book is awesome. David Kinnaman works for the Barna group and did a national survey of non-christians' opinions of christianity. The results are really startling. The book talks about the results, and why we need to be aware of them. It also talks about what we need to change to stop hindering the spread of the gospel.
Prayer by Phillip Yancey
- What I like so far about this book is that Phillip Yancey engages some very difficult questions about prayer. Haven't read much of this in awhile.
A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- This is a devotional book I've been using.
God's Politics by Jim Wallis
- This is one of those books I eventually want to make it all the way through. It's really thick. I read a few pages every now and then, in between reading other books. It's a little too dense for me to read too much at a time.
- This book is about some practices that growing churches have in common. Provides some interesting things to think about. So far it's well worth the read.
Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier
- This is a good book for anyone who is going on a cross-cultural experience. I'm only about half-way through but it's very enlightening to see some of the differences in the way different cultures process and react to similar situations. Growing up in many different places, this book rings very true to my own personal experience.
Celtic Christian Communities by Ian Bradley
- This book takes a critical look at monastic communities and what we can incorporate from them into christian communities today. I'm not sure how good this book will be. I must admit, the primary reason that I picked up the book is because I've always been fascinated by Christianity in Ireland. There's something about it that I've always been drawn to.
UnChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons
- So far this book is awesome. David Kinnaman works for the Barna group and did a national survey of non-christians' opinions of christianity. The results are really startling. The book talks about the results, and why we need to be aware of them. It also talks about what we need to change to stop hindering the spread of the gospel.
Prayer by Phillip Yancey
- What I like so far about this book is that Phillip Yancey engages some very difficult questions about prayer. Haven't read much of this in awhile.
A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- This is a devotional book I've been using.
God's Politics by Jim Wallis
- This is one of those books I eventually want to make it all the way through. It's really thick. I read a few pages every now and then, in between reading other books. It's a little too dense for me to read too much at a time.
Books I recently finished reading
Blue like Jazz by Donald Miller
- I have to admit, I tried to read this book a few years ago and just couldn't get into it. I recently picked it up again. I find it kinda slow in the beginning. But once you get past the first several chapters it gets better. It has some really interesting thoughts on Christianity. Would make a good book for a small group to discuss.
Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner
- I HIGHLY recommend this book. It's written by a woman who converted from Judiasm to Christianity when she was in college. She writes about some of the shared practices that Jews and Christians have in common. She also talks about what Christians can learn from some of the Jewish traditions. This book will help you look at some christian practices and rituals in new ways. It's an easy read and definitely worth the time. It would make an awesome small group discussion book.
A Tony Clemens Christmas Miracle by James Lilley
- This is a fun quick read. Some of the language in it is not appropriate for children. But if you want to think of God with a sense of humor and using a practicle joker to work miracles you'd enjoy this book.
Marley and Me by John Grogan
- This was a really sweet book. If you are a dog owner you'll understand the stories and antics of the lovable Marley. With so much pain and hatred in the world, it's nice to be reminded of humanities remarkable capacity to love and to be loved.
The Shack by William Young
- This book was interesting. It encourages you to think beyond typical understanding and explanations. Ultimately, God is a mystery and no explanation we can must will be able to completely explain God. In that light, this book helps to stretch our understanding of God. If nothing else, this book is a good conversation starter, an avenue to help draw us deeper into relationship with God and one another.
People of Integrity by William Morgan Jr.
- This is actually a small group study. It's written by a United Methodist pastor and is an Excellent book! I highly recommend it. It's a good book to read even if you are not studying it as a part of a group. It's designed to read one chapter a week. Each chapter has some discussion questions at the end as well as some devotional suggestions for the week.
Adventures In Missing the Point by Brian McClaren and Tony Campolo
- I thought this book was good. There were a few topics that we less interesting to me than others and since the chapters pretty much stand alone, I'd say if you're not interested in those topics than just skip those chapters. As always I don't agree with everything in this book but it does encourage you to think about how we often miss the point.
Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White by Adam Hamilton
- I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to explore a middle group on many very divisive issues.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
- This was a fun read. It warps your mind a little bit as you need to think backwards so to speak. Very clever in the way it points out the common mistakes many Christians and Churches make.
- I have to admit, I tried to read this book a few years ago and just couldn't get into it. I recently picked it up again. I find it kinda slow in the beginning. But once you get past the first several chapters it gets better. It has some really interesting thoughts on Christianity. Would make a good book for a small group to discuss.
Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner
- I HIGHLY recommend this book. It's written by a woman who converted from Judiasm to Christianity when she was in college. She writes about some of the shared practices that Jews and Christians have in common. She also talks about what Christians can learn from some of the Jewish traditions. This book will help you look at some christian practices and rituals in new ways. It's an easy read and definitely worth the time. It would make an awesome small group discussion book.
A Tony Clemens Christmas Miracle by James Lilley
- This is a fun quick read. Some of the language in it is not appropriate for children. But if you want to think of God with a sense of humor and using a practicle joker to work miracles you'd enjoy this book.
Marley and Me by John Grogan
- This was a really sweet book. If you are a dog owner you'll understand the stories and antics of the lovable Marley. With so much pain and hatred in the world, it's nice to be reminded of humanities remarkable capacity to love and to be loved.
The Shack by William Young
- This book was interesting. It encourages you to think beyond typical understanding and explanations. Ultimately, God is a mystery and no explanation we can must will be able to completely explain God. In that light, this book helps to stretch our understanding of God. If nothing else, this book is a good conversation starter, an avenue to help draw us deeper into relationship with God and one another.
People of Integrity by William Morgan Jr.
- This is actually a small group study. It's written by a United Methodist pastor and is an Excellent book! I highly recommend it. It's a good book to read even if you are not studying it as a part of a group. It's designed to read one chapter a week. Each chapter has some discussion questions at the end as well as some devotional suggestions for the week.
Adventures In Missing the Point by Brian McClaren and Tony Campolo
- I thought this book was good. There were a few topics that we less interesting to me than others and since the chapters pretty much stand alone, I'd say if you're not interested in those topics than just skip those chapters. As always I don't agree with everything in this book but it does encourage you to think about how we often miss the point.
Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White by Adam Hamilton
- I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to explore a middle group on many very divisive issues.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
- This was a fun read. It warps your mind a little bit as you need to think backwards so to speak. Very clever in the way it points out the common mistakes many Christians and Churches make.
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