Apple pie "enchiladas"

Made these today and took them to church (and baked them there, so they were hot when we had dinner right after service). Saw the basic recipe for these on Facebook (thanks, Susan!), thought they looked easy (they were) and good (they were). A hit. As always, I made a few changes from the original recipe, although this time they were slight.

Ingredients

• 2 21 oz cans apple pie filling
• 15 8" flour tortillas
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground ginger

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease large flat glass baking dish (like for lasagna). Fill each tortilla with a strip of apple pie filling (three or four apple slices each), rolling them up and tucking the ends in and putting them in the dish seam-side down. If you have any leftover filling (I did), put it in with the sauce. In a saucepan bring the remaining ingredients to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for three minutes, stirring frequently. Spoon sauce over "enchiladas" and then let them sit for at least 20 minutes (mine soaked for over an hour). Bake uncovered for half an hour. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

I can stop at any time - the weather edition

Last night I fed my weather addiction by attending training in Linn, Missouri, to be a weather spotter for the NWS. It was taught by Jim Kramper, a meteorologist from the St. Louis NWS office, which is the office that covers my county. The course covered tornadoes (obviously), but also other "weather events" such as flash flooding, hail, snow, etc. I learned some new things, and enjoyed going with our friends Greg and Charlotte, who were the ones who brought the class to my attention in the first place. This morning I signed up to be a volunteer weather spotter (not storm chaser, although that has always interested me, too).

The quote of the evening (because Jim emphasized it three times) was:

"Do not call me and tell me you see, 'A tornado in the sky'!"

[Because that would be a funnel cloud. For it to be a tornado, there has to be debris flying on the ground. For more info you can download the brochure used in class.]

Who have you seen live? (Updated)

The following is a list of all the concerts (at least, of artists who have had albums released) that I've seen in my life (so far). While this is not an official "meme", if you feel moved to I'd be interested in reading about your concert/live-music experiences. It doesn't have to be as detailed as the following. :o) Consider it an excuse to take a fun walk down memory lane.

Note: I am bad with dates, so until the shows started getting recent enough to accurately carbon date with Google, all dates are approximate.

Note: Some of the best live shows with music that I've ever seen, in any venue, in any format, remain the five Cirque du Soleil shows I've seen (Quidam three times, Dralion once, Delirium once). But for this post I am talking about "pure" musical artists/bands.

"We're ready, Mr. Music!"
- random kid in Romper Room

• Elvin Bishop - ca. 1976-7 in Denver's McNichols arena, opening for E.L.O. I wasn't a fan, especially not of Fooled Around and Fell in Love, although I remember I Strut My Stuff from the concert favorably.
• E.L.O. - ca. 1976-7 in Denver's McNichols arena. What can I say? I was into "progressive/art rock" in the 1970s. I got better. :o) I, uh, actually don't have very many memories of this concert, because, um (looks sideways), um...never mind. It was the middle '70s in Colorado, OK?
• Ramsey Lewis - ca. 1977-8 in Ft. Collins with my folks. It was cool. I grew up hearing a lot of music in the house; my parents actually have a pretty wide spectrum of tastes in music (part of where I get it from). Anyway, Ramsey Lewis was on the "hi-fi console" "playlist" a lot, and we got to see him live as a family and it was good.
• Firefall - ca. 1977-8, opening for Fleetwood Mac in CU's Folsom Field. They're from Boulder. I grew up in Boulder and came of age at their peak, but at the time I thought they sucked. I still think so, actually. Bring out Fleetwood Mac!
• Bob Seger - I was reminded by a thread on Facebook that the Fleetwood Mac concert also had Bob Seger as an opener. You can determine my feelings about Bob Seger then and now by the fact that I had forgotten that I'd seen him live.
• Fleetwood Mac - ca. 1977-8, CU's Folsom Field. During the second "white album" (Rumours) tour (actually, the third white album, if you count 'em like I do). It was great. It started to rain and given the general admission on the field, I actually ended up right up at the stage while they continued to play (they were under cover - we were not). While at the time the 17-year-old me lusted for Stevie Nicks, I've since come to really appreciate the incarnation of the band from that era for Christine McVie's voice and of course Lindsey Buckingham'spop craftsmanship.
• Leon Redbone - got to see the great crooner of songs of times past at M.U.'s Jesse Hall ca. 1982 or so.
• Dave Brubeck - OK, so my earliest musical memory ever (five? younger?) is the still-awesome Time Out album, which my parents listened to, a lot. Got to see Brubeck with them at Jesse Hall ca. 1982-3.
• Canadian Brass - saw them with my folks at M.U.'s Jesse Hall sometime in the early-to-mid 1980s.
• 3 - got dragged to this undead reincarnation of E.L.P. around 1988 in KC by my then sister-in-law. It was dreadful. Luckily, someone found a stake and drove it through their hearts.
• John McCutcheon - Saw him play at the KC Unitarian Church in the late 1980's/early 1990's.[this entry added 6/29/2008]
• The Millions (x2) - this band you've never heard of was out of Nebraska and was popular in the club scene in KC at the turn of the '90s. Saw them open for Pylon (below) and then saw them in an illegal show (they'd call it a rave now) in an abandoned warehouse in the industrial bottoms of KC - until the cops came and closed the thing down. Loved the band's atmospheric sound. Very much a sound of the times.
• Pylon - saw them in a club in KC around 1990. R.E.M. had this to say about them on their cover of Pylon's "Crazy" (on Dead Letter Office) - "I remember hearing their version on the radio the day that Chronic Town came out and being suddenly depressed by how much better it was than our record." Hey, if R.E.M. says that about somebody, you have to go see them, yes? Good band.
• Neil Young - one of my long-time favorite artists. Saw him at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, KS, in January, 1989, with my Dad (another forever fan) and Gabe. He did an acoustic set and then came on with "the Restless" (Frank Sampedro, Ben Keith, Rick Rosas, Chad Cromwell) and rocked the house. There was a dude about two rows behind us passed out for the entire concert who woke up during the final encores clapping and yelling.
• Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians - opened for R.E.M. at the Kemper arena on March 4, 1989 (hey, I can date this one!). This was the So You Think You're In Love era. Whatever.
• R.E.M. - Kemper arena, 3/4/1989. The Green tour. They opened with Pop Song 89 ("Hello, how are you" - big "Hello" projected on the screen). Went with my friend Gabe and my dad (really).
• Feelies - absolutely one of my favorite bands. I am listening to them now as I type. I was introduced to them by my friend Gabe in anticipation of this concert at Memorial Hall in KC, KS on April 10, 1991. They did a great cover of Neil Young's Sedan Delivery.
• Lou Reed - Memorial Hall, Kansas City, KS, 4/10/1991, for the New York tour. Great show. My ears rang for days.
• Kathy Mattea - opened for Clint Black at the Missouri State Fair about 1990. Much better than Mr. Black. She introduced the song Harley during this tour.
• Clint Black - dragged to this event at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia around 1990. I do not like mainstream country (roots country - Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, yes. Alternatwang, yes. Commercial country, no.) It sucked. What really pissed me off was for an encore he and his band did a great blues number and I remembered thinking, "You could have done that? And instead you gave us an hour of that shit-kicking cracker music?")
• Joey Skidmore - my brush with greatness, 'cause he's my friend Calvin's stepbrother (and taught me to drink Stingers). Yes, the Joey Skidmore. Creator of Buttsteak. Saw him in a club in KC for the Welcome to Humansville album release party.
• Emmy Lou Harris - saw her at a free outdoor concert at Crown Center sometime in 1990-91.
• Chris Isaak (x2) - what a great performer! All the women love him; all the men want to be him. Puts on a great show, has a great voice. Saw him first in Boulder in the early 1990s at the Fox on the Hill. Then at Sybase's 10th anniversary Christmas party in 1995 (really).
• Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - opened for Taj Mahal and Michelle Shocked at Macky Auditorium sometime in the early 1990s. First time I'd ever heard of him (sorry), but he put on a good gig. Too bad I was distracting waiting for the next two acts.
• Taj Mahal - I've liked Taj since I was a teenager, so getting to see him and Michelle Shocked in one evening (and even play together during an encore) was most excellent!
• Michelle Shocked - I've loved Michelle ever since I heard the Texas Campfire Tapes. Considering her opening acts and that Alison Brown was in her band at the time and the fact this was at the height of her albums (the tour was in support of Arkansas Traveler, if I recall correctly), all I can say is, great show! Too bad you weren't there.
• Joe Sample - I had never heard of this jazz pianist until my friend Guido dragged Gregg and I to his show at Yoshi's in 1995. Excellent venue, excellent sushi, excellent seats, excellent friends, excellent music.
• Brian Ferry - what a suave m-----f-----. Great voice, too. See comments about Chris Isaak, above. Saw him at Macky in Boulder sometime in the late 1990s. They did Avalon, that was enough.
• Elton John - saw him with Billy Joel in 2001. Good show. They did a set with both bands on stage, then each did a solo set (and each covered one of the other's songs), and then they did a finale set with both bands on stage again. Fun. While I am not an ongoing fan, his greatest hits (first volume) was one of the first LPs I ever bought with my own money. The stuff up until he split from Bernie Taupin still stands on its own.
• Billy Joel (x2) - my lovely wife has been a Billy Joel fan forever, and I have taken her to his concerts twice now. First at Kemper in KC in April, 2001 for the Face to Face tour with Elton John. Then this past winter we saw him at the Sprint Center in KC (11th row back! I was a Good Husband). I have to admit that while I am not the world's greatest Billy Joel fan, I do enjoy his concerts as well as seeing him talk about his craft on Actors Studio.
• Alabama 3 (x2) - saw them in Norwich, England around 2003 because some co-workers convinced me and then saw them again at London's Astoria on December 14, 2004 (there's a remote possibility you'd see me somewhere in the crowd during that movie - I haven't seen it yet). All I can say about them is "Wow". You know A3 (if you know them at all) as the band that did the theme songfor The Sopranos (Woke Up This Morning) But they are so much more (and so much weirder) than that. One great review I read about them once said it was like they had taken all sorts of American blues, country, roots rock, religion, Elvis and whatnot and without any cultural context had put it all in a blender set on "High", mixed it up and then poured it out. Exactly. Along with the Feelies, probably my favorite band in this list.

[Updated November 12, 2010]

• Anne McCue - Les and I love (love, love, love) Anne McCue. She's an awesome songwriter and a great guitarist. I got to see her in a small venue in NYC on August 9, 2010, and she even signed a CD for Les, who was very jealous for not getting to go.
• Sarah Jaffe - Sarah played at the Living Room before Anne McCue (she didn't "open" for Anne - the club doesn't work that way). I had never heard (of) her before, but am a fan after listening to her set. If you like singer-songwriters (and I do), then you'll like Sarah.

[Updated July 18, 2011]

• Interpol - opening act for U2. Good from what we heard, although their "sound" got a bit repetitious by the end of the set. Maybe it was just me.
• U2 - finally got to see them during their 360° tour at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Now Les and I can scratch that off our respective bucket lists. Awesome show, even if it was freakin' HOT (90+ degrees in the shade, even after 9:00pm).

[Updated March 15, 2013]

• Liverpool Legends - a Beatles tribute band we saw at the Main Street Music Hall in Osage Beach on March 8. 2013. We took the three youngest as part of Gloria's birthday present (she's a big Beatles fan). They were much better than I expected, and it was a good time had by all.
• Moon Hooch - opening act for They Might Be Giants. Think "house" music but with two saxes and drums. I went in not even caring who was opening for TMBG and walked out a huge fan of these guys.
• They Might Be Giants - took the three youngest last night (some folks from our church went as well) to see them at the Blue Note in Columbia. A great show full of "nerd rock" songs and lyrics. The crowd was very familiar with their music and there was a lot of singing and dancing along. Good times. We are now raising three more TMBG fans.

A modern parable

Yesterday I was preparing to lead the lectionary study group this coming Tuesday. While reading a commentary on John 12:1-8 I was taken by this story:

I will never forget the furor sparked at a stewardship conference at which an ecumenical group of pastors gathered to discuss generosity. One presenter spoke about offering a gift directly to God, and the clergy began to yawn. Then he pulled a $100 bill from his wallet, set it on fire in an ashtray, and prayed, “Lord, I offer this gift to you, and you alone.”
The reaction was electric. Clergy began to fidget in their chairs, watching that greenback go up in smoke as if it were perfume. One whispered it was illegal to burn currency. Another was heard to murmur, “If he is giving money away, perhaps he has a few more.” There was nervous laughter around the room.
“Do you not understand?” asked the speaker. “I am offering it to God, and that means it is going to cease to be useful for the rest of us.” It was an anxious moment.
- Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 2, Bartlett & Taylor, ed.

"It is going to cease to be useful for the rest of us." How often do we think of our church offerings in that way? How often do we give "with no strings attached?" How often do we look at what is given and think "Thy will be done" and not already have some preconceptions of what God's will should be? How can we, sitting in a building paid for by money, led by a person paid by money^†, rooted in a society built on and operated by money, give "our" money that we "earned" and not think in terms of that money being given for business as usual?

This story made me think that maybe we lost something when we lost the concept of burnt offerings. With those there was no question that the sacrifice was anything but being given wholly to God - although even then the skins were given to the priests. I am not saying bring back animal sacrifice (note that the $100 bill in the story was also a burnt offering). But I am thinking about how can we give and truly have no expectations as to the earthly disposition of our gift? How can we give and not get mad if our gift is "wasted" or "misused" or directed in a manner we do not approve? This is not a theoretical question - churches have split and people have left based on this very topic.

How can we give and make sure in our giving that it is not somehow earmarked to be "useful for the rest of us?" I ask this after handing our pastor a check yesterday indicating it was for an explicit purpose. I still think that purpose was valid. However, I am not so sure it was "offering a gift directly to God," but instead was simply making the gathering that is our little church run a bit more smoothly. Still perhaps a good thing, but not necessarily a holy one.

I will be thinking about this one for a while.

^† I should note our pastor is bi-vocational and currently not paid by the congregation. But the expectation is that some day we will be able to support her work by paying her. And when I do "supply" preaching in small churches I am paid. It is hard to not think of the offering in terms of a paycheck when you know some of it will flow directly to you for "services rendered."

Books of the Bible by Revised Common Lectionary frequency

NOTE: Earlier bug has been corrected. The All Years Combined results should be good now.

I have recently been combining two of my main intellectual interests, programming and ministry. Today I was wondering, for someone new to ministry who can't afford to buy all possible study resources at once, what would be a good order to purchase commentaries on the various books of the Bible (such as the New Interpreter's Bible series or Anchor Yale Bible commentaries), given that each book tends to be expensive? One possible solution that seemed very practical to me is to purchase them based on their frequency of occurrence in the Revised Common Lectionary.

It took me a little while to find the data I needed and get it into the format I wanted, then it was "a simple matter of programming," as they say. Following are the results, both for the entire three year lectionary and also for each year within the cycle (we're currently in "Year C"). The primary thing that becomes immediately obvious is that your first choice should be acquiring commentaries on the Psalms, since they represent over 100 readings per year and occur almost four times more often than readings from any other book in the three year cycle.

Note: The following list includes all possible readings from the lectionary. As such it also contains readings from the Apocrypha.

All Years Combined

Psalms	334
Isaiah	84
Luke	82
John	74
Matthew	58
Acts	36
Hebrews	35
Mark	35
Genesis	33
Romans	33
1 Corinthians	32
Exodus	25
Jeremiah	24
Ephesians	19
Philippians	16
2 Corinthians	14
Ezekiel	14
1 Kings	13
1 Samuel	12
Deuteronomy	12
Revelation	12
1 Peter	10
2 Samuel	10
Galatians	10
Wisdom of Solomon	10
Job	9
Numbers	9
Proverbs	9
1 John	7
1 Thessalonians	7
Amos	7
Colossians	7
2 Kings	6
James	6
Joel	6
Lamentations	6
Titus	6
1 Timothy	5
Malachi	5
Sirach	5
Zephaniah	5
2 Timothy	4
Baruch	4
Ecclesiastes	4
Joshua	4
2 Thessalonians	3
Daniel	3
Micah	3
2 Peter	2
Habakkuk	2
Hosea	2
Jonah	2
Leviticus	2
Ruth	2
Song of Solomon	2
Esther	1
Haggai	1
Judges	1
Nehemiah	1
Philemon	1
Zechariah	1

Year A

Psalms	110
Matthew	48
Isaiah	31
John	22
Romans	22
Genesis	16
Exodus	15
Acts	12
Luke	12
1 Corinthians	11
Hebrews	8
1 Peter	7
Ezekiel	7
Philippians	6
1 Thessalonians	5
Ephesians	5
Jeremiah	5
Wisdom of Solomon	5
2 Corinthians	4
Deuteronomy	4
Numbers	3
1 Kings	2
1 Samuel	2
Joshua	2
Leviticus	2
Micah	2
Revelation	2
Sirach	2
Titus	2
Zephaniah	2
1 John	1
2 Peter	1
Amos	1
Baruch	1
Colossians	1
Ecclesiastes	1
Galatians	1
James	1
Job	1
Joel	1
Jonah	1
Judges	1
Lamentations	1
Malachi	1
Proverbs	1
Song of Solomon	1
Zechariah	1

Year B

Psalms	114
Mark	35
John	30
Isaiah	25
Hebrews	15
Luke	13
1 Corinthians	12
Acts	12
Ephesians	11
2 Samuel	9
1 Samuel	8
Genesis	8
2 Corinthians	7
1 John	6
Job	6
Matthew	6
Romans	6
Exodus	5
Ezekiel	5
James	5
Jeremiah	5
Proverbs	5
Wisdom of Solomon	5
1 Kings	4
Numbers	4
2 Kings	3
Deuteronomy	3
Joel	3
Revelation	3
1 Peter	2
1 Timothy	2
Amos	2
Daniel	2
Galatians	2
Lamentations	2
Philippians	2
Ruth	2
Titus	2
1 Thessalonians	1
2 Peter	1
Baruch	1
Ecclesiastes	1
Esther	1
Jonah	1
Joshua	1
Malachi	1
Sirach	1
Song of Solomon	1
Zephaniah	1

Year C

Psalms	110
Luke	57
Isaiah	28
John	22
Jeremiah	14
Acts	12
Hebrews	12
1 Corinthians	9
Genesis	9
Philippians	8
1 Kings	7
Galatians	7
Revelation	7
Colossians	6
Deuteronomy	5
Exodus	5
Romans	5
2 Timothy	4
Amos	4
Matthew	4
1 Timothy	3
2 Corinthians	3
2 Kings	3
2 Thessalonians	3
Ephesians	3
Lamentations	3
Malachi	3
Proverbs	3
1 Samuel	2
Baruch	2
Ecclesiastes	2
Ezekiel	2
Habakkuk	2
Hosea	2
Job	2
Joel	2
Numbers	2
Sirach	2
Titus	2
Zephaniah	2
1 Peter	1
1 Thessalonians	1
2 Samuel	1
Daniel	1
Haggai	1
Joshua	1
Micah	1
Nehemiah	1
Philemon	1

Time to grow up?

I recently finished Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. As with his The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society, it's a short book that packs in a lot. I read it slowly and am glad I did.

 I have long identified with the story of the prodigal son, with a large part of my life's story being like that of the wayward son. The first thing that the book made me realize is that now in my life I am much more like the stern elder brother, disapproving of someone getting "off" with the gift of grace, and expecting my hard efforts to earn me more "worth" and recognition. All that lost wandering was fine for me in my youth, but you people need to straighten up! When did I become such a stick?

Even more radically, however, Nouwen made me realize the next step in the journey is to become the father, ready to forgive, accept and bless both sons! That still has me thinking. As Nouwen says near the end of the book, "It is comfortable to be the wayward younger son or the angry elder son." Indeed, more comfortable and far less challenging than being the patient, waiting, forgiving father. Especially since part of that waiting includes the knowledge that a "child" may never turn around and come home, or not in time, but all a father (figure) can do is wait and hope and pray.

A few quotes from the book:

Here is the God I want to believe in: a Father who, from the beginning of creation, has stretched out his arms in merciful blessing, never forcing himself on anyone, but always waiting; never letting his arms drop down in despair, but always hoping that his children will return so that he can speak words of love to them and let his tired arms rest on their shoulders. His only desire is to bless. (pages 95-96)

This "stepping over" is the authentic discipline of forgiveness. Maybe it is more "climbing over" than "stepping over." Often I have to climb over the wall of arguments and angry feelings that I have erected between myself  and all those whom I love but who so often do not return that love. It is a wall of fear of being used or hurt again. It is a wall of pride, and the desire to stay in control. But every time that I can step or climb over that wall, I enter into the house where the Father dwells, and there touch my neighbor with genuine compassionate love. (page 130)

I don't want to stay home while everyone else goes out, whether driven by their many desires or their many angers. I feel these same impulses and want to run around like others do! But who is going to be home when they return - tired, exhausted, excited, disappointed, guilty, or ashamed? Who is going to convince them that, after all is said and done, there is a safe place to return to and receive an embrace? If it is not I, who is it going to be? (page 138)

Good stuff. Recommended

Wild Nothing, Michelle Williams and Iris Murdoch

I've been enjoying the retro 1980s synth vibe of the Wild Nothing album Nocturne since purchasing it a few weeks back, driven by both the airplay on the SiriusXM U "alternative" channel of the songs Shadow and Paradise, and by a pitch perfect, beautiful review by J. Hubner on Amazon, including this:

'Shadow' opens the album with an airiness of a long forgotten summer dream. It brings to mind a car ride to town, sitting in the backseat of your parents' car with the radio playing something that nearly lulls you to sleep. These are 80s dreams re-invented in the age of iPads and social networks...

I admit it. I'm a sucker for 80s alternative. I love it. It puts me in a happy place. The mix of melancholy moods, reminiscing about a day long gone and people that are now merely ghosts in your present that you were once close with in your past. This music is human nature, done up with a dance beat, clean guitar lines, synth melodies and a voice lost in the analog wilderness...

Anyway, SiriusXM U has been playing a version of Paradise that is from the "official" video and not from the album, and which features actress Michelle Williams in the video, with her doing a reading in the middle of the song from the Iris Murdoch book A Word Child:

I couldn't find the spoken excerpt anywhere online so I bought the Kindle edition of the book and am putting the snippet below (hopefully covered by fair use), with the hope if anyone else searches for it they will find it here thanks to the title of the post:

Amo amas amat amamus amatis amant amavi amavisti amavit amavimus amavistis amaverunt amavero amaveris amaverit … Everything was love. Everything will be love. Everything has been love. Everything would be love. Everything would have been love. Ah, that was it, the truth at last. Everything would have been love. The huge eye, which had become an immense sphere, was gently breathing, only it was not an eye nor a sphere but a great wonderful animal covered in little waving legs like hairs, waving oh so gently as if they were under water. All shall be well and all shall be well said the ocean. So the place of reconciliation existed after all, not like a little knot hole in a cupboard but flowing everywhere and being everything. I had only to will it and it would be, for spirit is omnipotent only I never knew it, like being able to walk on the air. I could forgive. I could be forgiven. I could forgive. Perhaps that was the whole of it after all. Perhaps being forgiven was just forgiving only no one had ever told me. There was nothing else needful. Just to forgive. Forgiving equals being forgiven, the secret of the universe, do not whatever you do forget it. The past was folded up and in the twinkling of an eye everything had been changed and made beautiful and good. 

- Iris Murdoch, A Word Child 

Good stuff. Check it out.

My MSR journey

As my last class draws to a close, I thought it would be a good exercise to gather into one place the 18 courses I took while pursuing the MSR CPM program. The only class in the curriculum I didn't take was World Religions, because I had taken that at Regis University in the 1990s. In addition are listed two events (boundaries training and the "Living the Call" retreat) which were not required for the CPM program but were offered through MSR and I took them during the same time period. The boundaries training is required of all pastors in our region every five years anyway, so I thought it would be good to go ahead and take it in advance, so to speak.

I wanted to also capture all the books I've read in the last 18 months for school. I may be missing one or two, but I think the 35 listed below is most of them. Whew! I am looking forward to reading some things on my schedule and for my purposes now, although since I like to read and study, I can't say any of this has been onerous.

Understanding the Bible

Instructor: Fran Schnarre
Location: Rickman Center
Dates: May 7-8, 2010
Texts:

• New Interpreter's Study Bible

Introduction to the New Testament

Instructor: Bob Atkinson
Location: Online
Dates: June 1-July 26, 2010
Texts:

• Chalice Introduction to the New Testament, Dennis E. Smith, ed.
• An Introduction to the New Testament, Raymond Brown
• Paul: An Introduction to His Thought, C.K. Barrett

Christian Ethics

Instructor: Bob Flanagan
Location: Rickman Center
Dates: February 4-5, March 4-5, March 25-26, 2011
Texts:

• Christian Ethics: An Essential Guide, Robin W. Lovin
• Moral Dilemmas: An Introduction to Christian Ethics, J. Philip Wogaman
• Jesus, the Bible and Homosexuality, Jack Rogers

Personhood of the Pastor

Instructor: Bob Eichenberger
Location: Rickman Center
Dates: May 19-21, 2011
Texts:

• Becoming a Healthier Pastor: Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling, Ronald W. Richardson
• 22 Keys to Being a Minister, Jan G. Linn

Introduction to Hebrew Scripture

Instructor: Clem Graham
Location: Rickman Center
Dates: June 3-4, June 24-25, July 29-30, 2011
Texts:

• The Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (2nd Ed.), Stephen Harris and Robert Platzner
• Who Wrote the Bible?, Richard E. Friedman
• The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary, Walter Brueggemann

History and Polity of the Disciples of Christ

Instructor: Ken Watson
Location: Rickman Center
Dates: August 18-20, 2011
Texts:

• The Disciples: A Struggle for Reformation, D. Duane Cummins
• The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement, Douglas A. Foster, et al.

Introduction to Christian Thought

Instructor: Thomas Minton
Location: Online
Dates: September 1-October 27, 2011
Texts:

• The History of Christian Thought, Jonathan Hill
• The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind, Alister McGrath

Evangelism in Your Local Context

Instructor: Bill Tenny-Brittian
Location: Online
Dates: November 1-December 5, 2011
Texts:

• Unbinding the Gospel, Martha Reese
• Hitchhiker's Guide to Evangelism, Bill Tenny-Brittian

Stewardship Strategies

Instructor: Ed Taylor
Location: Rickman Center
Dates: December 9-10, 2011
Texts:

• Beyond the Collection Plate, Michael Durall

Utilizing Church Conflict

Instructors: Nancy Tanner-Thies
Location: Online
Dates: January 3-February 28, 2012
Texts:

• Managing Church Conflict, Hugh F. Halverstadt

Living the Call Retreat

Instructors: Bob Eichenberger, David Avery, Bill Tenny-Brittian, Donna Rose-Heim, et al.
Location: Heartland Presbyterian Center, Parkville, Missouri
Dates: March 9-11, 2012

Preaching as a Christian Art

Instructor: Dennis Swearngin
Location: Rickman Center
Dates: February 10-11, March 16-17, April 20-21, 2012
Texts:

• Preaching Without Notes, Joseph M. Webb
• The Witness of Preaching, Thomas G. Long

History of the Christian Faith

Instructor: Thomas Minton
Location: Online
Dates: May 15-July 10, 2012
Texts:

• A People’s History of the Christian Faith: The Other Side of the Story, Diana Butler Bass
• Christian Attitudes to War, Peace and Revolution, John Howard Yoder

The Social and Global Mission of the Small Congregation

Instructor: David Avery
Location: Rickman Center
Dates: May 17-19, 2012
Texts:

• Mission: The Small Church Reaches Out, Anthony Pappas and Scott Planting
• Sabbath and Jubilee, Richard Lowery

Worship and Music in the Small Church

Instructor: Ed Varnum
Location: Rickman Center
Dates: June 8-9, July 13-14, August 10-11, 2012
Texts:

• Wonderful Worship in Smaller Churches, David Ray
• The Worship Architect: A Blueprint for Designing Culturally Relevant and Biblically Faithful Services, Candace M. Cherry

The Practice of Ministry

Instructor: David Avery
Location: Online
Dates: July 17-September 11, 2012
Texts:

• The Vital Church, Clark Williamson and Ron Allen
• Ministry in an Oral Culture: Living with Will Rogers, Uncle Remus and Minnie Pearl, Tex Sample

Pastor as Spiritual Leader

Instructor: Nancy Tanner-Thies
Location: Rickman Center
Dates: August 23-25, 2012
Texts:

• The Spirit-Led Leader: Nine Leadership Practices and Soul Principles, Timothy Geoffrin
• Who is My God? An Innovative Guide to Finding Your Spiritual Identity

Boundaries Training

Instructor: Donna Rose-Heim
Location: First Christian Church, Sedalia, Missouri
Dates: September 8, 2012

Basics of Pastoral Counseling

Instructor: Ted Lewis
Location: Online
Dates: September 18-November 13, 2012
Texts:

• A Primer in Pastoral Care, Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner
• Brief Pastoral Counseling: Short-term Approaches and Strategies, Howard W. Stone

Christian Education

Instructor: Kim Gage Ryan
Location: Online
Dates: November 20-December 18, 2012
Texts:

• Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism: Living in a Three Storied Universe, Walter Brueggemann
• Power Surge: Six Marks of Discipleship for a Changing Church, Michael W. Foss

Three questions

The following is excerpted from Power Surge by Michael W. Foss, which I am reading for my Christian Education class at MSR (my last course, almost finished). I wanted to record it here to remember it:

    A delightful tale from czarist Russia tells of a priest who was walking along minding his own business when a royal guard stopped him at gunpoint. The guard demanded, "What is your name? Why are you here, and where are you going?"
    The priest gazed quizzically at the soldier and then asked, "How much do they pay you to do this work?"
    The soldier, somewhat taken aback, replied, "Why, three kopeks a month."
    "I'll pay you thirty kopeks a month if you will stop me every week and ask me these same questions," the priest said.
- Power Surge, p 128

Those are three good questions to keep asking ourselves:

1. Who am I?
2. Why am I here?
3. Where am I going?