What is the Lectionary? An Explanation

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Tom Bolton

I too think this is good information about the lectionary. I’d like to share it with my friends.

bobherring2009's avatarA Grace-Filled Life

I will warn you that this is a long post but it contains a lot of information if you have ever wondered why some churches stick to a defined system of Scripture readings for their Sunday services. I have shamelessly taken the following from the blog of Pastor Paul McCain, of Concordia Publishing House, and I will let him lead us through this explanation of a lectionary (I did not include links to everything in the following and if you are interested, please go to Pastor McCain’s blog, Cyberbrethren):

The other day a person asked us here at Concordia Publishing House where, exactly, did the lectionary systems Lutherans use today come from. Great question! My colleague, Rev. Scot Kinnaman, prepared a very helpful summary history that I thought I would pass along here. I added just a bit to it here and there. As Scot notes elsewhere when he…

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Transformed

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Tom Bolton

Re-running a poem from 2012

Sunshine, Transformed

As the sun climbed over my eyes this morning,
My brain sprang alert with questions:
What is my purpose today? Why and how? 
With whom?
What is your will for me today Lord?
I grab for it to transform me, to
Transform this world about me.
In the brightness of this sun,
Can it still be so hard to see?
So far away, I look to see.
The son of man does warm me
As the sun washes over me.
I look to see and then I hear:
Transform me in your light today.

(c) Tom Bolton, Milwaukee, April 23, 2012

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Happiness is a Warm Ukulele

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Tom Bolton

I love the youtube video at the end of this post. Aunt Marie has a ukulele; it just seems to fit her.

Cate B's avatarLet's Have Another Piece of Pie

I love to write about things that make people happy.  That bring a smile and a hope and joy. I hope this makes you happy as it has me.

I have a ukulele!  I type that phrase with a big smile on my face.  I can play guitar and chords on a piano or keyboard.  I can play around on a Native American Flute.  I’m not considered an accomplished musician and I’m not excellent on any one thing.  I just love music and I love to try new things.  So recently I got it in my head that I wanted to play the ukulele.  It just looks and sounds like fun!

So, while on a family vacation last month I picked one up from a local music store.  It was a gift.  I held it and walked out of there with a smile on my face very much like a…

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Clinton on Closing the Skills Gap

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Tom Bolton

English: Official White House photo of Preside...

Closing the Skills Gap

The link above is to a Q&A segment where President Clinton comments on how to close the skills gap.  Former President Clinton sometimes drives me a little crazy, but he certainly is talented and he is thoughtful most of the time.  How can the country fill open jobs with unemployed folks?  That seems like a worthwhile policy goal to me.  There are four other questions that he addressed with Bloomberg Businessweek; it is worth following the links that are shown at the first linked page.

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A World of Opportunity

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Tom Bolton

English: A section of the Oak Leaf Trail in Mc...

A World of Opportunity

This is a link to a wonderful book, produced by the Wisconsin Conference of Global Ministries.

The Wisconsin Conference Mission Giving booklet was created as a tool for local church pastors, mission and outreach committees, and treasurers! It is intended as use for inspiration to guide you as you determine the agencies, individuals, and organizations you wish to support. It is a really comprehensive guide to the ministries supported by the Wisconsin Conference.   It is amazing how much is here.

I have used the hard-copy with our Mission Committee at First Church in West Allis, but I wanted to remember the on-line link too. I should just remember: www.wisconsinumc.org

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Abba, Thank You Today

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Tom Bolton

I’m re-blogging this piece that I had forgotten.

Tom Bolton's avatarHopeful

I was contemplating prayer and two classes I have attended recently on prayer.

Abba, Thank You Today

Abba, Abba, how I missed you,
Even as you were by me all the time.
In your presence, you are so large, so great,
so much like when I was a very young one.
Your Name shines everywhere, every day.
You fill me up each day.
You pick me up each day.
You embrace me each day as I accept your presence.
How great is your presence here today each time we invite you in, 
Each time we open our eyes to see,
Each time we listen and hear you.
Sometimes your words are so hard for me to hear,
So hard to understand,
The Greek so formal, the Aramaic so new yet intimate.
I listen today in new ways.
You bring me daily bread, protein and bulk to
feed me all day…

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Human Trafficking Seminars

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Tom Bolton

Calvary Presbyterian Church, Milwaukee, Wi

Here is a listing of discussions on Human Trafficking in Milwaukee throughout the months of June and July:
CYD_Human Trafficking Flyer

If you click on the link, you can print out and share the flyer.

Most of the speakers will be presenting their material at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2300 N. MLK Drive, Milwaukee, WI at 5:30 pm.  One, I Lived to Tell My Story: American Actress Brook Bello Shares Her Story by Actress Brook Bello will be July 26, 2013, 2:00pm, at Mercy Memorial Church, 2477 North 36th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53210.

This series is sponsored by Career Youth Development, Inc.  The organization notes on the flyer:  “Human trafficking is a growing problem across the nation, in Wisconsin, and especially in Milwaukee.   According to the U.S. Department of Justice, as many as 300,000 American girls and young women are trapped or involved in this vicious industry.  The business of human sex trafficking is organized and violent. It is the second fastest growing criminal industry in the United States — just behind drug trafficking. It’s difficult to imagine that our own sisters, students, daughters and loved ones could be at risk of being targeted for the industry right under our noses—but they are….This is everyday life for thousands of young girls trapped in today’s new slave trade, human sex trafficking.”

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