Worship Wars....

I am constantly watching, reading, and talking about the importance of relevance in worship. I am really interested to see this debate about worship reverence vs. relevance will turn out. This debate has caused a great divide in the church and sometimes in single congregations. So I invite you to check out the following promo video and join me on September 1, for an online 2:00 p.m. CDT for this historic event and the beginning a new conversation about the future of worship in the church.

http://www.lifeway.com/RvR/

I will be post my thoughts on the subject following the event. I will hope to see you and talk with you along this journey. Until them...

What is your top 25 Worship Tunes for 2009?

I want to know what you think?

2009 Top 25 Praise Songs from CCLI

1. How Great is Our God
2. BLessed Be Your Name
3. Here I am to Worship
4. Open The Eyes of My Heart
5. Shout to the Lord
6. Holy Is the Lord
7. You Are My King
8. Forever
9. Lord, I lift Your Name on High
10. Come, Now is The Time to Worship
11. God of Wonders
12. Everlasting God
13. You Are My All in All
14. We Fall Down
15. The Heart of Worship
16. You’re Worthy of My Praise
17. Breathe
18. Trading My Sorrows
19. Beautiful One
20. In Christ Alone
21. I Give You My Heart
22. Days of Elijah
23. Friend of God
24. Better is One Day
25. Above All

I would love to here what others think of this list... What would you keep, delete, and add?

More on Health-care...

As I promised I would continue to post about this topic: Healthcare. I took a part of Jim Wallis' Aug 12 post on his blog. I hope the resources might also be useful to you all. You can also follow the hyperlink to read Jim's entire blog post.

- Peace

Rodney

(Taken from Jim Wallis Blog)
Today, right now, let’s join together making the health-care debate factual, worthy of our families and communities. Let’s put the special interests on notice that we want real health-care reform, not misinformation and fear-mongering.
Sojourners has created a rapid response Web site where you will find what you need to fight for the truth: Sojourners’ Health Care Reform Resources.

Other Links

SIGN Sojourners’ Health-Care Creed and let Congress know you stand for values-based reform.

SHARE Sojourners’ Guide to the Health-Care Reform Debate with your church and neighbors.

DISTRIBUTE Sojourners’ two-page flyer with health-care reform facts and values at your small group or Bible study.

USE the messages and talking points that Sojourners has created in your discussions with others.
CALL your Members of Congress today, toll-free, at #1-866-279-5474 and ask them to vote for health-care reform.

We must act.

Rethink Church: Ecology/Theology (UMC)

When you ask someone what is church, you get a ton of different answer. I am proud to be part of a movent of pastors and churches that are willing to ask tough questions and to look critically at the future of "the church."

This UMC ad is just one example of rethinking church.

I will be posting more about this topic in the weeks and months ahead. I will also be preaching a sermon series in which I will address several different ways we can rethink what we are doing in the chruch. The series begins on September 20, 2009.

I am looking forward to sharing this part of my journey as I talk with other followers of Jesus radical message and how we can look at church as a verb and not just a place we belong or come to.

Peace,

Rodney

Prayers for our Government leaders....

The discussion or maybe I should say debate on health care is getting crazy. I am hearing all kinds of things... what is true and what is a lie? I really want to know. Do you? I want the voice of faith to come to the table, because the health care issues facing our country can not be ignored. I know it effects my family in a major way. How it should be dealt with is still very debatable. So I felt like I should share some answers to questions.

Please Note: This is just one source, but at least it does give credible sources from which the answers are drawn. Unlike a lot of the rumors I am hearing on the street, in coffee shops, and waiting in line at the grocery story, these responses can be researched by you personally by following the links. Please stay informed and don't let people tell you what is going on, but check it out yourself.

Peace,

Rodney

Top Five Health Care Reform Lies

Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!

The truth: These accusations—of "death panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill."⁴ What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans.⁵

Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!

The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options.⁶ Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down.⁷

If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.⁸ But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can't afford health care now.

Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!

The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.

Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.⁹ And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.

Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!!!

The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits.¹⁰ Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.¹¹

Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!

The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy.

Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care.¹² The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade¹³—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses.¹⁴ Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit.¹⁵

We're closer to real health care reform than we've ever been—and the next few weeks will decide whether it happens. We need to make sure the truth about health care reform is spread far and wide to combat right wing lies.

Can you forward this email to your friends today? And remember, also post it on Facebook by clicking here: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51746. And on Twitter, by retweeting: @MoveOn Check out the Top 5 Health Care Lies—and How to Fight Back. http://bit.ly/Bncs5

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Kat, Ilya, Michael and the rest of the team

P.S. Want more? Check out this great new White House "Reality Check" website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/ or this excellent piece from Health Care for America Now on some of the most outrageous lies: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51729&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=1

Sources:

1. "More 'Town Halls Gone Wild': Angry Far Right Protesters Disrupt Events With 'Incomprehensible' Yelling," Think Progress, August 4, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51733&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=2

2. "Fight the smears," Health Care for America NOW, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51729&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=3

3. "Palin Paints Picture of 'Obama Death Panel' Giving Thumbs Down to Trig," ABC News, August 7, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51728&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=4

4. "No 'death panel' in health care bill," The Associated Press, August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51747&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=5

5. "Stop Distorting the Truth about End of Life Care," The Huffington Post, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51730&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=6

6. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 11, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#i1

7. "Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan," The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51737&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=7

8. "Obama: 'If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor,'" The Wall Street Journal, 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51736&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=8

9. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#r1

10. "Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform," CNN, July 28, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51748&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=9

11. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#s1

12. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1

13. "Premiums Run Amok," Center for American Progress, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51667&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=10

14. "Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies," CNN, June 5, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51735&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=11

15. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1

Sources for the Five Lies:

#1: "A euthanasia mandate," The Washington Times, July 29, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51732&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=12

#2: "It's Not An Option," Investor's Business Daily, July 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51743&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=13

#3: "Rationing Health Care," The Washington Times, April 21, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51742&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=14

#4: "60 Plus Ad Is Chock Full Of Misinformation," Media Matters for America, August 8, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51734&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=15

#5: "Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation," The National Review, May 13, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51744&id=16782-10068386-COJVoWx&t=16

New Webstie....

First Methodist has a new website. If you haven't already checked it out yet I hope you will.

www.fumcr.com

And of course THE SOURCE has all new look as well. Kyle has created a blog for the source which keeps everyone up with what music we are using each week in worship. So please come on by and take a peek at all the new stuff online both at the church and with The SOURCE.

I hope to see you in worship Soon.

Rodney