Homehttp://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/en-US2008-09-08T08:12:15ZSquarespace Site Server v5.0.0 (http://www.squarespace.com/)new audiohttp://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/2008/7/1/new-audio.htmlTerry-Michael2008-07-01T18:10:42ZI've posted the last sermon I preached a few weeks ago here.

]]>my wordlehttp://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/2008/6/19/my-wordle.htmlTerry-Michael2008-06-19T20:34:10ZHere's my "about me" wordle...

]]>holiness observedhttp://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/2008/5/12/holiness-observed.htmlTerry-Michael2008-05-12T18:47:43ZWe got to our spot on the beach this past Saturday and suddenly I realized we were on holy ground. Our girls were already playing in the shallow waves. Kim watched as I started digging the foundation of what I had hoped would be the best sand castle I'd ever build.

Then, I noticed a man in his mid-seventies (at least) and a teen-aged boy walking toward the water. Their long slacks and closed-toe shoes gave them away as pilgrims on mission. And the large bouquet of orange and red flowers made me realize they were about to reach their destination.

They walked all the way to the edge of the foamy waves and stood there for a few moments. I couldn't help myself, but I stared (even when Kim told me "that's none of your business.") I watched not out of curosity, but in reverence and respect. The boy handed the flowers to the older man. Clinching them with both hands he gazed into the merky water. In a quick motion, he threw them in the waves and turned around an began walking away. The younger placed a hand on the shoulder of his elder and guided him to wherever they went next.

I thought, "This is real beauty."

I wondered, "What had happened? Who were they remembering? What had they just memorialized?" And I came back to Kim's words to me, "that none of your business."

For some folks, the pursuit of truth (or Truth, or absolute Truth) is seen as the highest, most honored of quests. But, I wonder, God may be saying, "that's none of your business." And God might go on to say, "The truth? That's my business. Why don't you all stick to finding beauty instead?"

]]>you should blog morehttp://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/2008/5/8/you-should-blog-more.htmlTerry-Michael2008-05-08T23:31:25Z...I know, so I've been told. Care to add to the list? What do you want me to write about?

My Burger King conversation with a Vietnam vet? (which was really cool)

My experience with President Clinton and the American Flag?

My thoughts on how David certainly will win American Idol?

...

]]>control freakhttp://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/2008/4/30/control-freak.htmlTerry-Michael2008-04-30T23:15:07ZYes, I must confess, I love being in control. Today I came up with a new definition. Control is trying to manipulate reality. I know what the world is, what reality is, and I still try to manipulate it to insure that things go my way. So, one might also understand control as the eighth deadly sin.

]]>My national speaking tour...http://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/2008/4/24/my-national-speaking-tour.htmlTerry-Michael2008-04-24T13:46:10Zhas just come to an end. My last (and only) gig was at the Christian leadership conference for the greater Houston YMCA staff. The highlight for me was making new friends. The kindness of the staff (of which two were old friends) was beyond measure. All the folks were great.

A notable thing for me was the lack of white dudes. I think it is fair to say that at every other Christian leadership conference I’ve been to there were more white guys than socks lost in the dryer. This new experience was refreshing in a life-giving way. (Noteworthy also was this - the musician…white dude, 2 of 4 speakers…white dudes. 4 of 4 small group leaders…white folks. The participants…priceless.) They were eager and passionate which was contagious for me. I'm a better person having been a part of this conference.

In the first of two breakout sessions I was leading, Utronda (aka, “Audacious”) shared that as a part of her own self-discovery her work as a spoken-word artist helped her to express herself in times of darkness. When a close friend died, her poetry transformed her grief and her grief transformed her poetry. Beautiful. Just beautiful. I asked her if she’d give us an offering in the large group. She agreed. Even more beautiful. (I'm working on the audio which didn't record very well and I'll try to post at least her offering during my session.) After Sunday morning's worship service, she came up and hugged me to the point of emotion. I had encouraged folks to get "caught up in the Spirit" as they were leading others in their various positions. Little did I know that I would be "caught up" myself.

Thanks go to John for inviting me, a good friend who sings "Jesus in the Boat" better than anyone I know.

]]>election yearhttp://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/2008/4/9/election-year.htmlTerry-Michael2008-04-09T01:40:26ZI apologize but I've just got to get this out. I know you're not supposed to name names, but I can't help it. This is who I'm voting for.

]]>subversive christianity part 1 of ?, prefacehttp://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/2008/4/4/subversive-christianity-part-1-of-preface.htmlTerry-Michael2008-04-04T14:07:29ZBeing a subversive Christian, isn’t as easy as it seems. Quite honestly, I think we’re a little confused. For the most part, many of us subvert the norm by doing any number of things. We use profanity. We drink. We smoke. We don’t affiliate with any particular political party. For those of us who seek theological education, we attend seminaries or divinity schools that are either outside our selected denominations or the one(s) on the fringe (a.k.a., “cutting edge”). We try very hard to not wear dark suits, white shirts, and red ties. The bottom line to our raging against the machine is that we act in subversive manners toward each other. We rebel against the expectations that other Christians have placed upon us. We refuse to be lumped into any category or pigeon-holed on any issue. The result? We find news ways to become comfortable. Once the alternative, now we’re normal enough to sleep at night knowing we have a few friends. We discover that the risks taken to be authentic are no longer considered risky.

I am not writing to critique our commonplace, but to point out that the subversive Christians have “no place to lay our heads.” And that maybe we’re missing the mark of being authentically Christian.

]]>I preached yesterday...http://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/2008/3/31/i-preached-yesterday.htmlTerry-Michael2008-03-31T20:19:18Za sermon called "Living in the Light of the Resurrection" which you can download here or here or listen to here. Let me know what you think.

As an example, I used a creed (which is posted here) that I heard about on Speaking of Faith from the Maasai tribe. Any thoughts?

]]>"Once" againhttp://www.terrymichaelnewell.com/home/2008/3/24/once-again.htmlTerry-Michael2008-03-24T16:34:10ZOkay, so...some of you all who read this blog took me up on watching "Once." And the honest ones of you have said (to my face even!) that the film wasn't as good as you thought it would be given my strong recommendation. So, I'm proposing that you use the comment section below to give your view on this. Maybe even comment on the fact that the men in the crowd liked it while the women thought, "Oh my God! Can this be more awful!" I'm hopeful that's too much of a generalization to be true. If you liked it, why? If you didn't, why not? I'm also real curious about those of you who also said, "Hey, we got that movie and we're watching it tonight..." but, I've not heard from you since??! Let me know what's up!

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