Comments for Rev. Scott Wells http://revscottwells.com writing mostly about Universalist Christianity Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:37:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 Comment on At Lent: less meat, less Google by Ever considering giving up/reducing meat? Great article to think it through. « Elizabeth’s Little Blog http://revscottwells.com/2010/02/18/at-lent-less-meat-less-google/comment-page-1/#comment-407 Ever considering giving up/reducing meat? Great article to think it through. « Elizabeth’s Little Blog Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:37:31 +0000 http://revscottwells.com/?p=87#comment-407 [...] Hat tip to CT for sharing the link (on the blog of Rev. Scott Wells where he blogs Lent, Google, Animals, and Meat). [...] [...] Hat tip to CT for sharing the link (on the blog of Rev. Scott Wells where he blogs Lent, Google, Animals, and Meat). [...]

]]> Comment on At Lent: less meat, less Google by Derek http://revscottwells.com/2010/02/18/at-lent-less-meat-less-google/comment-page-1/#comment-406 Derek Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:27:46 +0000 http://revscottwells.com/?p=87#comment-406 At Lent I do not always abstain from something (some years I fast, and donate the un-used food money to charity). Most years I add a special spiritual practice. This year, as in most years, I am spending Lent reading and thinking about Doris Grumbach's book "The Pressence of Absence; On Prayer and an Epiphany". The book struggles very honestly with the struggle of feeling God's pressence in your life, and not feeling God's pressence in your life. The absence/pressence of God is an issue I struggle with on a regular basis. And each year Doris helps me to see something I didn't the year before. At Lent I do not always abstain from something (some years I fast, and donate the un-used food money to charity). Most years I add a special spiritual practice. This year, as in most years, I am spending Lent reading and thinking about Doris Grumbach’s book “The Pressence of Absence; On Prayer and an Epiphany”. The book struggles very honestly with the struggle of feeling God’s pressence in your life, and not feeling God’s pressence in your life. The absence/pressence of God is an issue I struggle with on a regular basis. And each year Doris helps me to see something I didn’t the year before.

]]> Comment on At Lent: less meat, less Google by Lizzie http://revscottwells.com/2010/02/18/at-lent-less-meat-less-google/comment-page-1/#comment-404 Lizzie Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:15:17 +0000 http://revscottwells.com/?p=87#comment-404 "I feel obese with the amount of data I’m consuming" Exactly. I really like how you tied the two concepts together. Thanks as well for the shoutout. I am taking my Lenten dietary cues from one of Pollen's collected proverbial sayings in the NYT Slow Food blog: Eat foods in inverse to how much it's lobby spends to push it. -Kirk Westphah http://tr.im/OUvf “I feel obese with the amount of data I’m consuming”

Exactly. I really like how you tied the two concepts together. Thanks as well for the shoutout. I am taking my Lenten dietary cues from one of Pollen’s collected proverbial sayings in the NYT Slow Food blog:

Eat foods in inverse to how much it’s lobby spends to push it. -Kirk Westphah

http://tr.im/OUvf

]]> Comment on At Lent: less meat, less Google by Boy in the Bands - My Lenten practice http://revscottwells.com/2010/02/18/at-lent-less-meat-less-google/comment-page-1/#comment-400 Boy in the Bands - My Lenten practice Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:37:46 +0000 http://revscottwells.com/?p=87#comment-400 [...] “At Lent: less meat, less Google“ Share this article Hide Sites $$('div.d3712').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_up',{duration:0.5}) }); [...] [...] “At Lent: less meat, less Google“ Share this article Hide Sites $$('div.d3712').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_up',{duration:0.5}) }); [...]

]]> Comment on At Lent: less meat, less Google by Charlie Talbert http://revscottwells.com/2010/02/18/at-lent-less-meat-less-google/comment-page-1/#comment-398 Charlie Talbert Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:46:17 +0000 http://revscottwells.com/?p=87#comment-398 Foer makes his case for animals with eloquent simplicity and without passing judgment. This short interview in December with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic shows his gifts. http://tinyurl.com/yet6pnw Foer makes his case for animals with eloquent simplicity and without passing judgment.

This short interview in December with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic shows his gifts.

http://tinyurl.com/yet6pnw

]]> Comment on The Or-Else Church, part 4 by Amy http://revscottwells.com/2009/09/24/the-or-else-church-part-4/comment-page-1/#comment-395 Amy Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:06:19 +0000 http://revscottwells.com/?p=38#comment-395 Transit is much less flexible on Sundays. Here (SF 'burbs) it's once an hour and doesn't run early enough for me to get to the early service. So if it's true that people will commute just as far to church as from work, they're willing to put in more effort. (Or drive to church when they take transit to work, maybe the balance being tipped by the greatly-reduced car traffic on Sundays.) I'm loving this series of posts. Transit is much less flexible on Sundays. Here (SF ‘burbs) it’s once an hour and doesn’t run early enough for me to get to the early service. So if it’s true that people will commute just as far to church as from work, they’re willing to put in more effort. (Or drive to church when they take transit to work, maybe the balance being tipped by the greatly-reduced car traffic on Sundays.)

I’m loving this series of posts.

]]> Comment on Capacity and the Unitarian Universalist Christians by Derek http://revscottwells.com/2009/12/10/capacity-and-the-unitarian-universalist-christians/comment-page-1/#comment-343 Derek Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:25:32 +0000 http://revscottwells.com/?p=78#comment-343 On the list of functions not presnetly covered by existing organizations, which 3 would you assign highest priority to? On the list of functions not presnetly covered by existing organizations, which 3 would you assign highest priority to?

]]> Comment on My take on “the cost of ministerial formation” by Elz http://revscottwells.com/2009/11/25/my-take-on-the-cost-of-ministerial-formation/comment-page-1/#comment-278 Elz Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:27:24 +0000 http://revscottwells.com/?p=73#comment-278 Coming back to this a bit late, but I am also a fan of the DRE model. What bothers me, though, is the lack of equality and flexibility bestowed. The MFC rejected the three tracks of ministry because they found that most community-based ministers also served or could anticipate serving in parish settings. Likewise, I was DRE in a small part-time setting when I was hired for the LREDA-Large setting up here in Burlington, Vermont. Congregations grow, shrink and wiggle. Ministries need to do the same. No credentialling process can anticipate which relationships will respond to change in a healthy way -- any more than an officiant can contemplate the strength of a potential marital couple by interviewing one of the intending spouses. THAT is why I insist on relationship and situations credentialling, rather than Platonic comparisons of an individual against an ideal type. Gradations in types would help, but not much. Coming back to this a bit late, but I am also a fan of the DRE model. What bothers me, though, is the lack of equality and flexibility bestowed. The MFC rejected the three tracks of ministry because they found that most community-based ministers also served or could anticipate serving in parish settings. Likewise, I was DRE in a small part-time setting when I was hired for the LREDA-Large setting up here in Burlington, Vermont. Congregations grow, shrink and wiggle. Ministries need to do the same. No credentialling process can anticipate which relationships will respond to change in a healthy way — any more than an officiant can contemplate the strength of a potential marital couple by interviewing one of the intending spouses.

THAT is why I insist on relationship and situations credentialling, rather than Platonic comparisons of an individual against an ideal type. Gradations in types would help, but not much.

]]> Comment on My take on “the cost of ministerial formation” by Adam Tierney-Eliot http://revscottwells.com/2009/11/25/my-take-on-the-cost-of-ministerial-formation/comment-page-1/#comment-211 Adam Tierney-Eliot Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:54:27 +0000 http://revscottwells.com/?p=73#comment-211 I woke up this morning rather down on the whole church concept in general. It happens from time to time when I wonder if there is a purpose to the (duly designated and licensed) parish ministry other than institutional maintenance. What if we bulldozed all our buildings and called our new churches "ministries" instead? Would we then be able to get back to the work of building communities rather than istitutions? Would we then be able to recognize the gifts of those who do not run through all the denomnational hoops? Would size matter less? I for one would love a congregation of 12 adults and perhaps 12 kids that met in the back of a brew pub on Sunday afternoons around brunch time. Of course, now in my tenth year of this profession, I have no idea how I would get paid... When I am not on my high horse, however, I like Steve's RE credentialing model. Also Scott, I think your truck metaphor is apt when considering current seminary training. It helps certainly, but not as much as seminaries (and seminarians) think... I woke up this morning rather down on the whole church concept in general. It happens from time to time when I wonder if there is a purpose to the (duly designated and licensed) parish ministry other than institutional maintenance. What if we bulldozed all our buildings and called our new churches “ministries” instead? Would we then be able to get back to the work of building communities rather than istitutions? Would we then be able to recognize the gifts of those who do not run through all the denomnational hoops? Would size matter less?

I for one would love a congregation of 12 adults and perhaps 12 kids that met in the back of a brew pub on Sunday afternoons around brunch time. Of course, now in my tenth year of this profession, I have no idea how I would get paid…

When I am not on my high horse, however, I like Steve’s RE credentialing model. Also Scott,
I think your truck metaphor is apt when considering current seminary training. It helps certainly, but not as much as seminaries (and seminarians) think…

]]> Comment on My take on “the cost of ministerial formation” by Mickbic http://revscottwells.com/2009/11/25/my-take-on-the-cost-of-ministerial-formation/comment-page-1/#comment-201 Mickbic Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:13:31 +0000 http://revscottwells.com/?p=73#comment-201 At the age of eighteen I was awarded one semester tuition scholarship at Tennessee Temple College in Chattanooga. There were probably two reasons I won the scholarship. I had graduated in the top ten percent of my class and had a strong letter of recommendation from the Bible Memory Association of Saint Louis. I had my heroes in ministry and became disenchanted with the college and Highland Park Baptist Church. At the age of nineteen I gave all my possessions to the Children of God. It was the price of admission to the organization that TIME MAGAZINE called the Storm Troopers of the Jesus Revolution.They handed me an ordination certificate. In the summer of my wife and I had two people living with us that we considered our Christian disciples. The next year I took a part time job as lay minister of a non-denominational church. I printed literature for a Shintoist organization in the late 1980s. Memorial Day 2004 I had a dream I co-founded a UU Church with my credentials listed as my life experiences. I do not have the required health to pursue parish ministry and I spent several years obtaining a bachelor's degree and not particularly fond of higher education. Recently I have been posting on a blog on the subject of abortion. We all are involved in ministry as we nourish one another. Change will inevitably come to the Unitarian Universalist denomination simply because survival depends upon it. At the age of eighteen I was awarded one semester tuition scholarship at Tennessee Temple College in Chattanooga. There were probably two reasons I won the scholarship. I had graduated in the top ten percent of my class and had a strong letter of recommendation from the Bible Memory Association of Saint Louis. I had my heroes in ministry and became disenchanted with the college and Highland Park Baptist Church. At the age of nineteen I gave all my possessions to the Children of God. It was the price of admission to the organization that TIME MAGAZINE called the Storm Troopers of the Jesus Revolution.They handed me an ordination certificate. In the summer of my wife and I had two people living with us that we considered our Christian disciples. The next year I took a part time job as lay minister of a non-denominational church. I printed literature for a Shintoist organization in the late 1980s. Memorial Day 2004 I had a dream I co-founded a UU Church with my credentials listed as my life experiences. I do not have the required health to pursue parish ministry and I spent several years obtaining a bachelor’s degree and not particularly fond of higher education. Recently I have been posting on a blog on the subject of abortion.

We all are involved in ministry as we nourish one another. Change will inevitably come to the Unitarian Universalist denomination simply because survival depends upon it.

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