tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9897699417165215462024-03-27T18:53:40.789-05:00Learning, Teaching, and LaughingThe occasional thoughts of an ordinary man serving an extraordinary God. Come with me as we learn, teach, and laugh along the way.Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.comBlogger2628125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-20841345480239023342024-03-25T09:04:00.006-05:002024-03-25T09:04:57.860-05:00Sermon Recap for March 24 2024<p> I really need to do better getting ahead of Palm Sunday. I miss the tradition of Frond Day in church. Well, we'll work on the classic Friend Day and maybe have Fronds later...we could use the plastic fronds that are fronds forever.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here's yesterday's sermon:<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="363" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/99BiwFFXnyc" width="487" youtube-src-id="99BiwFFXnyc"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><iframe title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/destination/id/2809025/height/412/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/642c04/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" height="412" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" style="border: none;"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-15147647004349496772024-03-19T14:23:00.003-05:002024-03-19T14:23:39.918-05:00Sermon Recap for March 17 2024<p> Okay, I'm running behind this week. Here is this past Sunday's sermon:<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="370" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/76XukupHlYc" width="482" youtube-src-id="76XukupHlYc"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/30409298/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/642c04/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div>Thanks! Have a great day!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-72752817635482064992024-03-12T04:00:00.005-05:002024-03-12T04:00:00.126-05:00Sermon Add-on for March 10<p> Continuing the use of Artificial Intelligence to try and generate discussion questions from the sermon, here's what it gave me this week:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Reflecting on Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, as described in Mark 11:1-11, what does the symbolism of the palm fronds and Jesus riding on a colt speak to you about how God fulfills prophecy and expectations? (Mark 11:1-11; Zechariah 9:9)</p><p><br /></p><p>2. The sermon draws parallels between the Old Testament prophecies and Jesus's life. How do these connections deepen your understanding of Jesus as the legitimate and victorious king? (Zechariah 9:9)</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Considering the disciples' humorous quest for a colt, how can we discern when specific instructions in Scripture are for a particular time and context, and when they are principles we can apply to our lives today? (Mark 11:2-6)</p><p><br /></p><p>4. The Feast of Tabernacles was a time to remember Israel's journey from slavery to liberation. How can this historical celebration encourage us to cultivate gratitude and hope in our current trials? (Leviticus 23:42-43)</p><p><br /></p><p>5. In what ways can you incorporate the practice of recalling and teaching the significance of God's past faithfulness to inspire hope in the present and future generations? (Deuteronomy 31:12-13)</p><p><br /></p><p>6. The sermon emphasizes the universal search for hope and how Jesus embodies that hope. How does this perspective influence the way you interact with and serve those who are seeking hope in their lives? (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 12:21)</p><p><br /></p><p>7. As we are reminded to shout for hope, discuss how the collective expression of faith within the community can uplift and encourage those who are struggling. Why is it important to vocalize our faith and hope? (Psalm 47:1)</p><p><br /></p><p>8. In what practical ways can you "find and share your hope" with others this week, especially with those who may have lost their way or are new to faith? (1 Peter 3:15)</p><p><br /></p><p>9. The sermon concludes with a call to rediscover hope. What are some strategies or spiritual disciplines that can help you reconnect with the hope found in Christ? (Romans 15:13)</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Reflect on the idea of our earthly homes being temporary, as mentioned in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles. How does this concept influence your perspective on material possessions and your focus on eternal priorities? (2 Corinthians 4:18)</p><p><br /></p><p>I think it's getting better.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-63825428391551084292024-03-11T15:35:00.005-05:002024-03-11T15:35:21.149-05:00Sermon Recap for March 10 2024<p> Good afternoon! Here is yesterday's sermon:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="351" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Opa_p8GPykY" width="488" youtube-src-id="Opa_p8GPykY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/30310948/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/642c04/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Student-Led Experiment here:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="336" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Msqqj0lntGo" width="481" youtube-src-id="Msqqj0lntGo"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-18609545412692292612024-02-27T06:30:00.001-06:002024-02-27T06:30:00.133-06:00Discussion thoughts on February 25 2024 Sermon<p> I'm still experimenting with PulpitAI to create supporting content for the sermons...here are some discussion questions it generated from February 25th's sermon:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. In Mark 10:35-45, James and John seek positions of honor beside Jesus, yet Jesus teaches a lesson on servant leadership. Reflect on a time when you sought personal advancement. How does this passage challenge your understanding of true greatness in the kingdom of God?</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Jesus describes His mission as giving His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). What does the concept of ransom mean to you, and how does it deepen your understanding of Jesus's sacrifice?</p><p><br /></p><p>3. The sermon speaks to the value that God places on us, suggesting that we are worth more than the greatest treasures of the world. How does this notion of divine worth influence the way you see yourself and others?</p><p><br /></p><p>4. How can we practically live out servant leadership in our daily lives? Consider Philippians 2:3-4, which encourages us to value others above ourselves and look to their interests. Discuss ways you can embody this scripture in your community.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Discuss the importance of gratitude and praise in our spiritual walk, as mentioned in the sermon. How can cultivating a thankful heart impact our perspective on life's challenges?</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Reflect on the historical context of ransom and redemption. How does understanding the weight of this concept in ancient times enrich the meaning of Christ's sacrifice for us today?</p><p><br /></p><p>7. The sermon suggests that many remain unaware of their spiritual liberation. In light of Matthew 28:19-20, how can we as a church body work to share the message of freedom found in Christ?</p><p><br /></p><p>8. The sermon concludes with a call to spread the life-changing message of Christ's liberating sacrifice. How can you, as an individual and as part of a faith community, contribute to this mission? Consider Acts 1:8 as a starting point for this discussion.</p><p><br /></p><p>9. In your own journey of faith, how has the idea of living as a servant leader transformed your relationships and approach to leadership within your family, workplace, or church?</p><p><br /></p><p>10. The sermon emphasizes that through Jesus's ransom, we are liberated from sin and death and can return to the Father. How does this assurance of spiritual freedom and divine acceptance affect your day-to-day life and decisions? Reflect on Romans 8:1-2 as you discuss this question.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-89627655627587809322024-02-26T17:30:00.005-06:002024-02-26T17:30:46.164-06:00Sermon Recap for February 25 2024<p> So, here's the sermon recap from yesterday, followed by a lovely instrumental presentation of "The Solid Rock."</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="333" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ChEVr2Oj7rI" width="482" youtube-src-id="ChEVr2Oj7rI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /><iframe title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/destination/id/2809025/height/412/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/986e38/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" height="412" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" style="border: none;"></iframe></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-70670345715769320462024-02-19T14:36:00.000-06:002024-02-19T14:36:41.919-06:00Sermon Recap for February 18 2024<p> It's Monday again, so here's the recap of the sermon. We were in Mark 10, looking at the story of the rich young man--often called the rich young ruler, but we don't have a definite thing he "ruled." He was possibly part of the ruling elite of his day, but Mark does not tell us that. It's important to read the text and notice what is there and also notice <i>what is not there</i>. We tend to pick up traditions and interpretations from preachers and books along the way and they are not specifically bad, but they are not clearly evident. And yes, I have and still do sometimes repeat things without working on this.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, here's the sermon from yesterday:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="334" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lkqa9W8aBew" width="484" youtube-src-id="lkqa9W8aBew"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="412" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/destination/id/2809025/height/412/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/986e38/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-75484107189860465862024-02-13T15:28:00.004-06:002024-02-13T15:28:47.406-06:00Addendum for Wedding<p> Yesterday's post was the wedding ceremony that I use. I thought I would address a little bit more about it here.</p><p>First, yes, I use the same wedding. This isn't laziness--and I will adjust, for example, if there are specific, relevant things to add. Or to take away--a second marriage of a couple in their 50s-70s might not include the lines about having children. Also, some weddings call for a personal request, like a specific Scripture reading before a song, the unity candle idea, etc., and those go into the ceremony overall. </p><p>But I like to keep it the same thing: it's a reminder that marriage is a combination of the uniqueness of the two people coming together and the repetition of a relationship that is as old as time itself. Your marriage is yours, uniquely, but it also belongs with all the marriages across the ages.</p><p>Second, I really do believe that marriages work better within the community of believers. We tend to think that it's just about the bride and groom. And yes, without those two it doesn't work. </p><p>But the relationship requires mentors and teachers and examples and companions. You need to see other people struggle, sweat, smile, survive, and thrive in their marriages so that you can see that it does happen, it does work. </p><p>Additionally, there is value in taking vows crafted from the fabric of history, Scripture, and tradition. Why? Because you do not know what you need to promise in your marriage. Oftentimes, marriage is entered by young folks who are madly in love and think life is going to run fine--maybe there's a head nod toward "it's not always perfect" but that is far different from really understanding that you're vowing for both the rich days and the poor days--and the poor days aren't just when you only have basic cable.</p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-41085300073294495292024-02-12T04:30:00.018-06:002024-02-13T14:08:46.860-06:00Sermon Recap from this last weekend: Wedding!<p> Well, it's a trick headline. I didn't preach Sunday because I was doing a wedding. However, I thought it would be worth sharing the wedding ceremony I use here. Partly because we aren't usually listening at weddings anyway, so it might help to see it in print. Partly because it gives me a backup location where I can find this next time I do a wedding. </p><p>This is, with names redacted, the same file I use for a wedding. What I will do is put the bride and groom's name in at the appropriate locations, and then read it throughout. On an iPad, highlighting shows up clearly in a way it won't here, but realize some of this is direction, some is "repeat after me" text. In all, it takes about 20 minutes to go through. (18 minutes at normal talking speed, to be precise).</p><p><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“Dearly beloved: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"> We
have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining
together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The bond and covenant of
marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned
this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of
Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his
Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people." <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">"The union
of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their
mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and
adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and
their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore, marriage is not
to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in
accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God. Yet neither
should we come today with hearts too heavy, for marriage is also given by God
as a gift to be enjoyed. That is one of the glorious mysteries of marriage:
that a lifetime covenant should be a thing of joy and excitement rather than a
dreary burden.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“Marriage further
reminds us of the temporary nature of life, but the foundation of the promises
of God. J and S come today to covenant that no matter what changes life brings,
they will stand to face those changes together, bound with each other in the
Lord Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“A wedding,
though, is not just about the couple being wed. If it were, none of you needed
to be here, and all the decorating is in vain. Rather, the wedding ceremony
carries with it reminders to the rest of us that here:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“First, to those
who have walked this pathway and taken similar vows: that we will not only
abide by our vows, but find joy and strength in the keeping of them. Let the
happiness of a new couple now send you home to remember and live in the
happiness you have together.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“Second, this is
a request for help by this couple. J and S, realize you cannot make it through
your marriage with just the two of you. Realize also that you don’t have to.
You stand here today asking your family and your church family to lovingly help
you glorify God through your marriage. We stand with you, willing first of all
to show by our actions how marriage glorifies God, and second to speak words of
encouragement and blessing to you as you grow. We also long to watch you and
see the ways God works in your lives through your marriage.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“Finally, this is
a challenge to all of us: to some, to commit to whatever God has for you. For
others, to live up to the commitments we have made. For all of us, to remember
that in all things, love is a glorious thing to have.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"> </span></p><p><span style="background: yellow; color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-highlight: yellow;">Exchange of Vows:</span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: yellow; color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-highlight: yellow;">The Celebrant says to the Bride</span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">"S<b><i> </i></b>do
you take J to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage?
Will you love him, comfort him, honor and cherish him, in sickness and in
health, in plenty and in want, through mountains and valleys, forsaking all
others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?" <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: yellow; color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-highlight: yellow;">The Bride answers "</span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I do" <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: yellow; color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-highlight: yellow;">The Celebrant says to the Groom</span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">"<b><i>J</i></b>, do you take <b><i>S</i></b>
to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love
her, comfort her, honor and cherish her, in sickness and in health; in plenty
and in want, through mountains and valleys, forsaking all others, be faithful
to her as long as you both shall live?" <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: yellow; color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-highlight: yellow;">The Groom answers</span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"> "I do” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: yellow; color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-highlight: yellow;">The Groom, facing the Bride and taking
her right hand in his, says:</span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Repeat after me</span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">: <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">USE SHORT 5 WORD GROUPS</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">"In the sight of God,
I, J, take you, _S_____, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day
forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and
in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my
solemn vow." <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">"In the sight of God,
I, <b><i>S</i></b>,
take you, J, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for
better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to
love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“</span><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">May I have the rings?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“The giving of rings
symbolizes the commitment of marriage. A
ring forms a circle, with no end, made of rare and precious metal, showing the
value of marriage, and worn on the left hand, closest to the heart.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Ask God's blessing on a
ring or rings as follows: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">"Bless, O Lord, these
rings to be a sign of the vows by which this Man and this Woman have bound
themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Repeat after me</span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">: <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">USE SHORT 5 WORD GROUPS</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The Groom places the ring
on the ring-finger of the Bride’s hand and says: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">"S, I give you this
ring as a symbol of my vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I
honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit." <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The Bride places the ring
on the ring-finger of the Groom's hand and says: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“J, I give you this ring
as a symbol of my vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor
you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Foundation
of faith, fidelity commitment---interrelation, shared life though still
individuals <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Then the Celebrant joins
the right hands of husband and wife and says: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">"</span><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Now that J and <b><i>S</i></b>
have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands
and the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and
wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."</span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“You may now kiss the
bride”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“Gathered family, friends,
and guests, I now introduce to you:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Mr. and Mrs. J and S”</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-33553515206327235502024-02-06T05:30:00.001-06:002024-02-06T05:30:00.133-06:00Sermon Questions February 4 from Pulpit AI<p> So, I used PulpitAI to generate questions about the sermon from Sunday. Here's the list of questions it created--if you were at church or listened to that sermon (<a href="http://www.doughibbard.com/2024/02/sermon-recap-for-february-4-2024.html" target="_blank">find it here</a>), see how well it did.</p><p>1. Reflecting on Mark 9:35, where Jesus says, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all," how can we apply the principle of servant leadership in our daily lives and within our church community?</p><p><br /></p><p>2. In light of the sermon's discussion on George Liele's legacy of faithful servitude, what are some practical ways we can follow his example in dedicating ourselves to the Gospel and serving others?</p><p><br /></p><p>3. The sermon emphasized the importance of authenticity in our faith journey, especially when sharing the Gospel. How can we ensure our motives are pure and aligned with Jesus' teachings as found in Mark 9:36-37, where He speaks about welcoming a child in His name?</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Mark 9:42 warns about causing others to stumble. What measures can we take within our church family to protect the vulnerable and prevent ourselves from becoming a stumbling block to others?</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Discuss how personal ambition can sometimes interfere with our service to God and others. How can we navigate these feelings and keep our focus on the Kingdom of God, as Jesus instructed in Mark 9:33-50?</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Reflect on the metaphor of salt in Mark 9:50, "Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other." How can we maintain the 'saltiness' of our faith while promoting peace and unity within our community?</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Considering the sermon's message about dedication and collaboration in God's kingdom, how can we better support one another in our individual callings and work together to advance the mission of the church?</p><p><br /></p><p>8. In the sermon, the importance of setting aside distractions to pursue eternal values was highlighted. What distractions do you currently face that may be hindering your spiritual growth, and how can you address them based on the radical teachings of Jesus in Mark 9:43-48?</p><p><br /></p><p>9. How can the example of Jesus embracing a child (Mark 9:36-37) inspire us to practice humility and genuine care in our relationships with others, both within and outside the church?</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Share personal experiences or insights on how living out the teachings of Jesus with 'salt and peace' has influenced your interactions and relationships with others, as mentioned in the sermon.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-55267423968288220472024-02-05T14:38:00.002-06:002024-02-05T14:38:15.644-06:00Sermon Recap for February 4 2024<p> Here we are, in February! We're continuing onward through Mark, with this week looking at Mark 9:33-50.</p><p>Here's the video:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="347" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yX6ReaY5G_w" width="486" youtube-src-id="yX6ReaY5G_w"></iframe></div><br /><p>Here's the audio player:</p><p><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="412" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/destination/id/2809025/height/412/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/642c04/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></p><p>I'm experimenting with a service that might produce a transcript...among other things. I'll share the results when I have them. I don't really have the time to transcript it myself, but we'll see what the AI system does.</p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-70456213895599599092024-01-30T17:47:00.001-06:002024-01-30T17:47:42.880-06:00Sermon Addendum: Mark 7<p> This week's sermon was from Mark 8, as we looked at the feeding of the 4,000. You can go back to yesterday's post to watch or listen if you're interested. </p><p>What I feel like I should catch up on here is Mark 7, which I skipped over entirely. Why? Well, I know that some preachers can be interesting while staying in the same book of the Bible for 3 years; others have multiple opportunities to preach, so they can keep one series on the same book for a long time and do other portions of Scripture at other times.</p><p>I can't. Truth be told, I get a bit bored my own self, because one of the aspects of sermon prep that I love is background study, and after awhile, you've studied the background and there's not much else to dig out. Unless, of course, you have the budget to load up on an entirely new pallet of resources. Who doesn't love more books?</p><p>Still, Mark 7 has some important points. At the end of the chapter, there are two key moments of Jesus teaching and healing among the Gentiles. He's in the region of Tyre and then in the region of the Decapolis, and it is from the Decapolis that the crowd for the Feeding of the 4,000 came.</p><p>The first is the oft-discussed encounter with the Syro-Phoenician woman, where we have to wrestle with Jesus appearing to be unnecessarily harsh with a person in need. After all, He initially turns down the request, then seems to call her a dog. At the very least, He accepts her self-designation as somewhat less than a child. Usually, we see this as a discussion of priority in Jesus' mission: He goes first to the people of Israel, she is a Gentile and therefore comes after the children of God. Yet we also see that Jesus readily performs this miracle (and in a parallel passage, commends her faith in a way that never does an Israelite!), so perhaps the bigger point is that neither she, nor any of the Greeks, are a dog. </p><p>They are all children of God.</p><p>Then Jesus moves down to the region of the Decapolis (Ten Cities, all around the Sea of Galilee) where He encounters a deaf man who has difficulty speaking--usually considered a deaf-mute, but it just reads slightly odd for that to me. Jesus heals the man after taking him away from the crowd. Jesus sticks His fingers in the man's ears, spits (where, we don't know), and then touches the man's tongue.</p><p>And the man is healed. It has to be the oddest connection of actions described in connection with a miracle of Jesus that we see in the Gospels. Why does He do all of this when He can heal at a word? And at a distance?</p><p>We have no idea. There are some who think Jesus is hiding meaning in His actions, but it is very infrequent that Jesus does not explain the hidden meaning to someone--like His disciples. All in all, we do not know.</p><p>We do know that He can heal. He can make possible the restoration of those things which are lost, whether children or senses or even just our own self-worth: you're not a dog. You're a child of God. Your redemption will be costly, but He would not have you left unredeemed.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-58983568129437248512024-01-29T15:41:00.002-06:002024-01-29T15:41:34.257-06:00Sermon Recap for January 29 2024<p> Here is the sermon from January 28 2024. It's weird, out of habit I still tend to start this post with "here are the sermons," when I haven't done two different sermons on Sundays since June of 2020. That was when we started back to in-person services after the COVID pause, and we kept Sunday night as not "in-person." We did a worship service earlier in the week that we then posted on Sunday nights, but it wasn't live anymore.</p><p>Then we relocated here to Crossett and they had ended Sunday night entirely during COVID, their pastor left, they didn't bring it back, and, to be fully clear, I wasn't really enthused about bringing it back since it was not happening. I wanted us to find other avenues for Bible study and fellowship and use that time as something other than a retread of Sunday morning. There was a time that churches really did use the Sunday evening for a different focus, but so much of that has been lost in the few decades that it's better to stop the habit and rebuild a new one than continue to hold a line that you can find no use in. It would be like continuing to go down the rail lines here in rural Arkansas that still have old telegraph poles by them and maintaining the wires: true, there's not great bandwidth for the Internet in many of those places, but maintaining the old telegraph wires just because we used to love telegrams and there's no good replacement does not make sense anymore.</p><p>Anyway, here's the sermon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="352" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UCF-bAoDm7w" width="489" youtube-src-id="UCF-bAoDm7w"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><iframe title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/29684128/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/a97a3c/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" height="192" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" style="border: none;"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-51107413581011123652024-01-23T15:57:00.003-06:002024-01-23T15:57:41.486-06:00Sermon Addendum for January 21 2024<p> This past Sunday, January 21, 2024, I preached on the Feeding of the 5,000 as it is recorded in Mark 6. I thought I'd take a moment here to highlight a couple of things that I didn't draw out on Sunday. After all, the more I draw out, the longer the sermon draws out...</p><p>First, we should note that the Feeding of the 5,000 (I don't think the style guide says that should be capitalized, but it's a singular event in history, so that's a good way to be clear) comes right on the heels of Jesus hearing about John the Baptist's death. Jesus had sent his disciples to preach, teach, and heal (Mark 6:7-13), and while they were gone, Herod got worked up. I don't think I made clear in the sermon as well as I should that, while Mark tells of John's execution here, it's clearly something that had taken place farther in the past.</p><p>The drive for the Feeding of the 5,000 is Jesus wanting to take the Apostles away from the chaos to rest up after their preaching mission. However, Mark clearly wants to draw a contrast with Jesus and Herod here, so he puts the remembrance of the execution here.</p><p>So, the people who have come out to see Jesus, hear Jesus teach, and who eventually eat the bread and the fish are <i>uninvited interlopers</i> in a private meeting. Yet there is no reproach from the Lord Jesus to them for showing up. Instead, they are greeted with compassion, teaching, and feeding. </p><p>How do we manage the uninvited? There are several ways to unravel that knot, but just consider: often, churches have "targeted" outreach. Somewhere, a committee has decided who they really want in church, and then the church designs for them.</p><p>What happens when other people show up? People who are younger? Older? Richer? Poorer? More Black, Hispanic, White, Korean, Chinese? More Republican? More Democrat? You get the point.</p><p>Do we feed them? Do we have compassion? Do we teach them? Or do we say to them, "You set over there on the floor, these seats are reserved."?</p><p>The answers to those questions should come from Jesus, not our marketing experts or denominational gurus.</p><p>Second, we should note that the disciples point out that it is already "very late" in v. 35. They've really pushed past the point where anybody will have a good solution to the problem. This isn't the preacher going until 1:30 and the buffets are closed, He's gone until the Taco Bell has closed for the night. There are no good options out there.</p><p>The disciples were leaning toward sending the people away in the dark, hungry, to go figure it out when the individuals would have no better luck solving this problem than the group would. The disciples were trying to wash their hands of any responsibility for fellow human beings. Jesus was not going to put up with that. He won't tolerate it from us forever, either.</p><p>Third, God does nothing by half-measures. There is no doubt when God works. He is never "just enough." He's always more than--much more. Not a lagniappe but a dozen extra baskets!</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-76250010717481400872024-01-22T16:42:00.003-06:002024-01-22T16:42:39.940-06:00Sermon Recap for January 21 2024<p> That's right! It's time for another sermon. Mark 6 was the sermon focus for yesterday, January 21, 2024. And, naturally, we had a lovely little glitch as someone (ME) forgot to load the slides and outline into the presentation software.</p><p><br /></p><p>Which meant that my notes were not there either. So, I looked in my Logos Bible Software app, because that's where I construct the sermon notes, and I couldn't find it here, either. The sermon, therefore, was entirely from memory. That was my habit in times past, but recent years have seen me trying to be more on-topic through the whole sermon, so I try to stick with sermon as-written. (That whole discussion is another post!)</p><p>Fortunately, I think multiple rewrites and revisions throughout the week had the basic outline pretty well locked down in my brain. Here's the video and audio players:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="342" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d5hfl5KHHLU" width="485" youtube-src-id="d5hfl5KHHLU"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/29582173/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/ecdccc/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-27731060659072266882024-01-15T14:56:00.001-06:002024-01-15T14:56:05.759-06:00Sermon Recap for January 14 2024<p> Good morning! Here is yesterday's sermon!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><br /><div><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/29498008/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/986e38/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ocWpYmnRvOY" width="507" youtube-src-id="ocWpYmnRvOY"></iframe></div><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-83380919837370958842024-01-08T15:12:00.005-06:002024-01-08T15:12:34.014-06:00Sermon Recap January 8 2024<p>New year, same me: will I post to the blog regularly, like I did once upon a time?</p><p>Not likely. Neither will I likely remember to do graphics or promote it or anything like that. It's more of a public but never-read occasional thoughts repository. </p><p>However, I do need to remember to keep the sermons updated!</p><p>Here is yesterday's sermon, and remember that the audio player will cycle through all the previously uploaded sermons.</p><p>The YouTube channel has previous sermons on it once you click through to YouTube.</p><p>Thanks!</p><p><br /></p><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/29375758/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/642c04/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="367" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3zfP9_dud4o" width="482" youtube-src-id="3zfP9_dud4o"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-82520589494552773462023-12-13T05:00:00.110-06:002023-12-13T05:00:00.137-06:00Fellow Baptists, What Next?<p>So, not that enough people will read this for it to make a difference, but somewhere I need to flesh out where I think we are, currently, as Southern Baptists, especially on the area of responding to the cascading numbers of sexual abuse reports in our fellowship of churches. It is an area that I have learned a lot more about in the last decade and I have, most likely, said things in other venues that I am about to contradict. </p><p>But as I heard today, attributed to Maya Angelou, "When you learn better, do better." The guy who shared the quote may have gotten it not right, but I think the principle is valid. I am learning better. I need to do better.</p><p>And this goes double for us as Southern Baptists.</p><p>What is the nature of the problem?</p><p>Quite frankly, it is this: we have far too many men in positions of authority within Southern Baptist life who have used that position to sexually abuse people they have authority over. While it is true that "one is too many," one can be an anomaly. We have enough of this that shows we have a systemic problem: if 1 person in your hospital gets a staph infection, such things happen, it is tragic, and you do your best to care for that one person.</p><p>If 1 person in 500 gets a staph infection, you start looking for where the system is breaking. And you care for those people. Since we can start pointing to statistics that show numbers of abusers, and repeated incidents of abuse by the same perpetrator, we have a broken system. </p><p>One of the major problems we have, though, is how to handle the highly independent nature of every SBC-affiliated church. We are built, historically, on the idea that individual churches can tell the cooperative system what to do, but they cannot tell each other what to do--and neither can the system. It's structured that way so that a failure in one church does not bring the whole thing down. It's structured that way because, initially, there were not communications practices that enabled doing anything more. What are you going to do about a church in West Texas if you are a church in Virginia, and it took 3 months to get information? Or to follow up with questions? </p><p>You just could not. Our legacy is distributed work. That, however, has made it very possible for predatory individuals to easily slide from end of the SBC to another and evade responsibility. Those who do so with utter stealth may be beyond catching.</p><p>The real problem has been when churches and cooperative organizations have enabled those types of moves. Sometimes quite overtly: a seminary actively trying to silence testimony against a star student, a publishing company terminating a victim for being a distraction, a church "planting" another church to send out a predator, just to get him away from his first victims.</p><p>And then the further actions of collectively helping to keep these problems quiet. We've done that through bad training over the years. One aspect of Baptist ministry training is this: most of our classes in seminaries are fact-based: Biblical Studies, languages, theology studies. The practical courses are very direct skillsets: how to preach, how to make a budget, how to think you're an effective counselor when you probably aren't (not the actual course title). </p><p>The nuts and bolts of how to handle a sexual abuse accusation? That learning comes from hands-on lessons from other pastors, whether mentors or associational folks or denominational leadership. So, while we can readily get the latest edition of <i>Steps to the Sermon</i> and so pick up how to make digital slides alongside our exegesis, we are still dealing with sexual abuse issues by word-of-mouth training from generations past. </p><p>And we did not handle it right in generations past.</p><p>So we keep recycling the same issue: a predator comes along, eventually someone brings an accusation, and then...the system tries to protect the reputation of the church, the denomination, the pastors that have enabled and encouraged the predator (not in his predatory behavior, just in his ministry overall). And to do that, we put our cooperative effort into crushing the person who had to put herself (and himself) together enough to bring that accusation.</p><p>Then it makes the news, we look to someone in leadership to address it, apologies are made, committees formed, and nothing happens. This has never been good enough, but too many of us normal Baptist preachers have been willing to fade back and hope there's a better result someday. Making waves hurts our chance of being on cool committees or preaching annual meetings or getting help from the Important Baptists when we need it for our church or for our own job advancement.</p><p>This cannot continue. We have enough blood on our hands simply for our inaction. I have enough on mine simply for suggesting we stick with the slow process for the last 15 years. Time to say some things; eventually, when I find them, time to do some things. Here they are:</p><p>What do we do about it?</p><p>First and foremost: we need to use our cooperative system, work with experts in the field of providing restorative care to victims and survivors, and provide for their needs. We cannot claim that we are only supposed to fund "mission" when we are also crushing people. There are ways to figure that out--constantly we are told inside the SBC that our seminaries are filled with the brightest minds in all of evangelical life. We constantly have things to say claiming to hold the solution to every other problem in America.</p><p>We either need to acknowledge we're not that bright or use our brainpower to fix our problems. This one ought to come first: bandage the wounded. And do so in a manner that is driven by what is best for them, not what is best for us. We may expose ourselves to liability by doing the right thing. Better that than leaving a trail of victims in our wake.</p><p>Second, we need to revamp our cooperative systems to cooperate to lock predators out of churches. That will require using some standards to determine what constitutes "predatory behavior." Again, we claim to have a great deal of brain power. Surely we can do this, right?</p><p>And remember: someone can use position and perception and authority in ways that violate another person's ability to make free choices. In some churches, pastors are seen as having that authority. I have served in churches where there were other members who held that authority--and in fact, while not being sexually abusive, were spiritually abusive even toward the pastor's family--but the perception of power is what matters here. We claim to not have authority in our churches, but while that may be the way we talk, it is not the way we act.</p><p>This will require more open information sharing. Yes, that means more people will know about our mess. At this point, though, the only people that do not know are those willfully ignorant or who will not care anyway. It's past time for the sweet little old ladies who have raised millions for the SBC to know what's been done with some of it.</p><p>Third, we need to find a way to use our cooperative systems to have updated, <i>mandatory</i> training on dealing with matters like sexual abuse. And not presented by the same good ole boy network that currently delivers 90% of the post-seminary training in the SBC: this should not be done with the "well, you know, whatever" attitude that usually shows up in associational and denominational gatherings. Our failures here are harming people now and harming our ability to make disciples.</p><p>We are killing people and killing our witness but won't take it seriously. Instead, most of our together time is the same old self-congratulatory, "We're awesome" talk it always has been.</p><p>I do not have all the solutions, but I know this: we're not going to find them with the same leadership that has perpetuated them. The same systems that have victimized people will have to be radically rebuilt to prevent it from continuing to happen. If we keep looking to the same "great men of the SBC" that we have looked to for decades, we will continue to do it all again, and again, and again.</p><p>And if we do that, the least of our worries will be civil judgments and social media outrages. The Lord God Almighty may have patience, but He will not tolerate this forever.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-34083898845910646462023-12-12T15:59:00.002-06:002023-12-12T15:59:40.830-06:00Sermon Addendum: John the Baptizer<p>This past Sunday's sermon was focused on John the Baptist, or as the NET translates his tag: John the Baptizer. There could be several volumes written about John, even without trying to fill in details with some imagination. Historical fiction works could get really crazy with developing a hold plotline around his life, because there is so little narrative material around him.</p><p>What we do have are some Old Testament prophecies about God sending a "messenger" ahead of the Messiah, then the short moments shown in the Gospels. Those promises seem vague, as they occur sporadically across the Old Testament prophetic material--and that only if you count Exodus as being prophetic material! </p><p>One of the passages, Malachi 3, that is seen as a promise of a forerunner to the coming Messiah is kind of interesting in its translation: the phrase "my messenger" can also be translated as a name, and that name is "Malachi." So the promise that Malachi reports is the promise that God will send..."Malachi." </p><p>And yes, I do think the Lord Almighty does pun occasionally for the fun of it. You may not think so, but that's between you and Him.</p><p>What we do know is that the time of Malachi is 400 years, roughly, before the time of John. Isaiah is about 700 years, and the Exodus is around 1400 years prior to the time of John. That's a long time to wait. And yet wait, the people did. Some of them did not wait well--they jumped into this, that, or the other. Some folks came along claiming to be the promised messenger, claiming to be Elijah returned--but none of them were. In truth, no one really held John to hold that role until Jesus clarified that in Matthew 11.</p><p>Is there a lesson there? Yes. Do what God puts in front of you, and let God define who you are. That's not the easiest piece of advice to follow, but it is valuable to consider.</p><p>A side note about the promised return of Elijah: it is promised in Malachi 4, but that is the only location. Further, it should not be taken as any sort of odd one-off moment in the Bible suggesting reincarnation. Instead, remember that Elijah is recorded as being taken away behind a chariot of fire (reread 2 Kings 2, Elijah goes in a windstorm, the fiery chariot is what separates Elijah and Elisha), so he is considered to have not actually died. The idea was that he would return, not be reborn. <i>Reincarnation never shows up in the Bible.</i></p><p>Now, other tidbits on John the Baptizer: well, let's take the "Baptizer" in translation vs. the traditional "Baptist." What's the difference? The latter reads like an identity group: we have churches that are labeled "Baptist," we talk about "I'm a Baptist," and so forth. "Baptizer," though, reads like an action that someone participates in: John is one who is known for <i>baptizing,</i> not one who joined a Baptist group. After all, there are many who are members of a Baptist group that have never baptized someone. (Or consider "Baptist Hospital" which does not, in fact, baptize people.)</p><p>As a lifelong credo-baptist, one who believes that the religious action of baptism involves completely immersing a willing believer, I will lose some Baptist Points for this, but honesty compels me to admit that, at times, the Greek word which becomes "baptize" refers to ceremonial washing of various sorts, so pouring water over the head of an individual or other methods may be involved. Still, I think the full-body dunk is the best approach.</p><p>One last note on the whole shebang: we see Mark 1 reflect that the Biblical authors were often not as careful with their citations as we would like in our setting. Mark compresses three different verses and authors to make the quote he ascribes to Isaiah. Is that wrong? No, it would have been well-understood by his original audience. Those of us with Logos Bible Software may like more precision, but we have digital search functions to keep it all straight. </p><p><br /></p><p>That's some add-on thoughts for the sermon!</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-9912952686954831392023-12-11T16:20:00.001-06:002023-12-11T16:20:29.316-06:00Sermon Recap December 11 2023<p>Sermons! Get your sermons here!</p><p>If I were to use AI, it would be to automate this part of my week. This is just a monotonous part of the process that ties up time. I'd love to be able to build the skills to write a program to just take the raw file, make the audio file, the video file, upload them, and generate the boilerplate text that introduces sermons in the blog page. </p><p>Since I do not know where to learn that, it's on me to publish and sometimes...I'm not so good at that!</p><p>If you track the YouTube channel, you can find any sermons I haven't linked here. The LibSyn Player will automatically pull up audio.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="357" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mhM8yFmT9Vw" width="487" youtube-src-id="mhM8yFmT9Vw"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><iframe title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/destination/id/2809025/height/412/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/1579c5/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes/font-color/FFFFFF" height="412" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" style="border: none;"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-24791826573451304622023-12-08T16:08:00.002-06:002023-12-08T16:08:18.036-06:00Book: 40 Questions about Bible Translation<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTwFzGXYkwH5EYbZl5WGVKSzMsC5uM8F7-VnYqpLvRrX-7AxGJpDFyn-KBDkrmHP7bDoYTvNQ9OLfHyKEUOrdoSGg1JVsfeibZPSI_M4A2QZu_bx7Tu-Jtp0KEeLRez8TMwUMylcsqhxwNkeUzOdz89bhSbtadt_Ub0vZb9lB0OBvfyocPynGwphTOBrY" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTwFzGXYkwH5EYbZl5WGVKSzMsC5uM8F7-VnYqpLvRrX-7AxGJpDFyn-KBDkrmHP7bDoYTvNQ9OLfHyKEUOrdoSGg1JVsfeibZPSI_M4A2QZu_bx7Tu-Jtp0KEeLRez8TMwUMylcsqhxwNkeUzOdz89bhSbtadt_Ub0vZb9lB0OBvfyocPynGwphTOBrY" width="160" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.kregel.com/biblical-studies/40-questions-about-bible-translation/" target="_blank">40 Questions About Bible Translation</a></i> by Mark L. Strauss is another entry in the incredibly useful <a href="https://www.kregel.com/series/40-questions-series/" target="_blank">40 Questions series</a> from Kregel Academic. The series aim, overall, is to provide essentially a FAQ section on the given Title Topic. Entries include questions about the text of the New Testament, other religions, ministry patterns, and issues in Biblical interpretation. This is a handy series to have on-hand, whether you have it on your shelf or in print. The works are, naturally, all in print, and most are available for Kindle or your Logos Library.<p></p><p>The specific focus for today is the volume on Bible Translation. Now, I should start by being clear that all the ins-and-outs of Bible translation are the pursuit of years, but this is meant to be an introduction and explanation of some of the basic information. Mark L. Strauss, author, is a New Testament scholar and is on the Committee on Bible Translation for the New International Version. His other works include introductory textbooks on the Gospels and works on Biblical interpretation and translation. He is a qualified scholar for this subject. (Unless, of course, you're a partaker of the King James Only view of English Bible translation, but if so, you're not going to like this book.)</p><p>First, I would note that about a dozen of the questions and answers are English-specific, so these are not as helpful for non-English speakers. However, the rest of the book is broadly-based and applies to any language. There is value here for understanding missional work that groups like Wycliffe Bible Translators are involved with, and what the challenge is for that work. </p><p>Second, each of the question/answer sections is followed up with comprehension questions. Strauss is a professor, after all, and there's nothing like a good quiz to make sure you got the point. </p><p>The organization of the book moves from broad questions, like "Why do we need Bible translation?" to the final question, the quite specific and thorny, "What is the Controversy in Translating 'Son of God' in Muslim Contexts?," the latter being one you may have heard something about even in mainstream media, though it bears little impact on how you read your Bible in English.</p><p>Strauss approaches the entirety of the work from a perspective that respects the Bible as the Word of God, but acknowledges that people's hands have been on it and therefore, some parts of its transmission and translation may be problematic. He does not delve deeply into textual criticism or the more in-depth questions of just what Greek verb tenses are doing, but provides enough initial insight to help the reader understand why you cannot just make a one-to-one word swap to translate. He also provides the best short-form answer on textual criticism I have seen, and one that I will be using next time the question comes up in the church I pastor.</p><p>I would definitely put this more in the undergraduate student or deep Bible study participant category than I would in the "just buy copies and give them out at church" category. The information is well-presented, but it does presume some basic working knowledge of New Testament studies. There are places where some help connecting to other materials will be necessary, so a group setting is the ideal usage here. </p><p>And, on a personal aside, we do get the necessary mention of the Venerable Bede on page 205 as well as Caedmon! The chapter on Earliest English Bible translations looks great to me, but I'm partial to that area as my first research paper was on pre-Reformation English Bible translations. So I'm always happy to see these familiar friends and to read scholars restate what I wrote back then, because I like knowing I was right. (it was all footnoted facts, hard to get wrong ;) )</p><p><br /></p><p>This may be the last book I review here--I'm rethinking my blog and don't really have the traffic to claim I'm worth the freebies--but it is necessary to note Kregel Publications gave me this in exchange for a committed review. Am I positive? I am, because I get to choose the books I review and the publishers, and I've yet to find a bad part of this series. So...main point is that I did get the book free.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-12795775529809902442023-10-02T10:44:00.002-05:002023-10-02T10:44:39.644-05:00Sermon Recap for October 1<p> Good morning! Here is yesterday's sermon and the raw video from the Student-Led Service. We're still working on that project--some parts of it will come together better as we advertise it better and perhaps draw a few more folks.</p><p>We're starting into James from now until Thanksgiving, though next week's Observance of the Lord's Supper will be a pause on the progress...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="364" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fdko4q7FOos" width="485" youtube-src-id="Fdko4q7FOos"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Audio Player is here:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><iframe title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/destination/id/2809025/height/412/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/986e38/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes" height="412" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" style="border: none;"></iframe><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">StudentLed Raw Video:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n11gJkvTvYg" width="320" youtube-src-id="n11gJkvTvYg"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-28072616936959056272023-09-19T17:31:00.001-05:002023-09-19T17:31:32.989-05:00Sermon Addendum for Psalm 40<p> So, looking at more of the materials related to Psalm 40, here are a few thoughts:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Some translations take "watery" as symbolic for "desolate." CSB is one of those, where they try to translate the meaning here more than the actual terms. That's one of the challenges of translation in sections of Scripture like the Psalms: poetry does not translate literally all that well. Imagery is likely used with meaning behind it, so what do you do with that? </p><p>2. Psalm 40:5 notes an important point about the works of God. There is always more that God has done than what we know. We should emphasize the works of God as noted in Scripture, as these are the ones we know in common and know without error. However, do not assume that the Scripturally recorded events are the only things God has ever done or is doing. We should be willing to listen and examine what is happening so that we can compare it to what we know of God and see if it is His work.</p><p>3. Note that for Psalm 40:10 to be true, that David did not conceal God's constant love in the great assembly, David had to confess his sins to the great assembly. We should take from this the need to be open about our sinful behavior and not conceal it, but also to put the focus where it belongs: the grace of God. David's focus shifts to the grace of God. Is your testimony about God or about you?</p><p>4. Notice also that David links his troubles with his iniquities. He is not disclaiming responsibility for his problems: he knows the source is judgment for his sins. You don't get out of responsibility just because you get into God's grace. You still have to wrestle with some of the consequences. Including finding some way to repair your relationships here: can you imagine how much David had to work through with his kids, his wives, with Bathsheba, and ultimately with the people of Israel? </p><p>5. The Psalm opens with discussing singing new songs and hymns of praise. I think we lose something we do not sing--and we lose that even if other people sing on our behalf. Singing is a good thing, and it's a long-standing habit of human beings. We should find the right things to sing about. It's also easier to sing together than recite together--you'll find that the times we recite words together, usually they are more rhythmic than normal speech. Why? Closer to singing.</p><p>And no, you don't have to hit the right notes. It helps but if we could all ease up on worrying about it, we'd be better off.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-90533070211230201482023-09-18T18:50:00.003-05:002023-09-18T18:50:48.536-05:00Sermon Recap for September 17 2023<p> Evening all!</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is yesterday's sermon as well as the whole video of our student-led service. That project is making progress. Slowly but surely!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="293" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q-chgv93usY" width="465" youtube-src-id="Q-chgv93usY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Audio Player:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><iframe title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/destination/id/2809025/height/412/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/642c04/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes" height="412" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" style="border: none;"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">StudentLed:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3G_UYjSqQEI" width="483" youtube-src-id="3G_UYjSqQEI"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989769941716521546.post-1978765236004449762023-09-11T09:42:00.002-05:002023-09-11T09:42:55.026-05:00Sermon Recap for September 10 2023<p> As an aside, it is so strange to sit here in a church office on the morning of September 11. I was in a church office, a different one, that Tuesday morning. The world we have is greatly shaped by what happened 22 years ago, and even more shaped by our reactions to it. You did not get a choice about what happened that day. You have had 22 years of choices.</p><p><br /></p><p>On to the sermon</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oJIijn1swns" width="519" youtube-src-id="oJIijn1swns"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><iframe title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/destination/id/2809025/height/412/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/986e38/playlist-height/200/direction/backward/download/yes" height="412" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" style="border: none;"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for taking the time to read!
Doug Hibbard</div>Doug Hibbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099486048716032843noreply@blogger.com0