Friday, February 12, 2016

Disappointing Stories 3 (Campmeeting 2014)

This week is the discussion portion of our Disappointing Stories presentation.  Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to this discussion.  As much as you may be here to listen to Dale and I, hearing other voices is equally important.  As we say, the point is not for us to talk a lot, but for everyone to start talking and sharing.  That's how we live together. 

Next week we begin the last day of our Campmeeting 2014 presentations.

Enjoy!

Disappointing Stories 3 (Discussion)

Friday, February 5, 2016

Disappointing Stories 2 (Campmeeting 2014)

Continuing our discussion of disappointment, this week we explore what happens after disappointment--the significance of the choices we make in response to overwhelming events, in response to the experience of being lost.  We talk about Rwanda, religious polarization in our society, music, heaven and what this has to do with God, faith and love.

Next week, we open the discussion further as we spend time discussing various stories that audience members share.
Enjoy!

Disappointing Stories 2

Friday, January 29, 2016

Disappointing Stories 1 (Campmeeting 2014)

Hello again.  This week we begin Thursday's discussion, picking up some questions from our discussion of the Great Controversy and exploring history.  Our main question is: how do we live after disappointment?  After loss?  After evil?  How we answer this question matter immensely.

This week we talk about the Israelites, Jesus, 1844 and Louis Riel as well as the relationship between our stories and the story God is telling.  Thanks again for listening.

Please send us your questions and comments.  We love expanding the conversation.

Enjoy!

Disappointing Stories 1

Friday, January 22, 2016

The Great Controversy Story 3 (Campmeeting 2014)

Well, it's not the end of our campmeeting presentations yet, but it is the final part of my favourite discussion.  Thanks to everyone who participated.

This week, I share my understanding of the Great Controversy and what difference that makes to our understanding of God, life and the world.  My discussion begins with the question someone asked about our freedom to choose and how that relates to God's power.  For me, the center of all of this is "God with us"--where relationships matter more than power and/or "authority."  Power can never fix a broken relationship.  Thus God has to employ other methods to reconnect with humanity.

Next week we start exploring Adventist history and how the stories we tell about our past matter to our present.

Enjoy!


The Great Controversy Story 3

Friday, January 15, 2016

The Great Controversy Story 2 (Campmeeting 2014)

In planning this presentation, Dale and I realized we couldn't tell one definitive version of "The Great Controversy."  Rather, each of us tells a slightly different story, sharing common themes and developments, but emphasizing different aspects according to our particular personalities, histories and values.  This week, Dale tells his version of events, as written in a Reddit discussion.  In addition, we hear from some of our audience members about their own versions of the story and the themes that matter to them.  I had forgotten just how awesome this discussion was.  I hope you enjoy it.

The central question Dale takes up is "if there is a God, why is there evil?"  After that, the question also arises, "are we merely pawns in a divine game?"  Join us for this stimulating discussion and please, share your thoughts.  This is, for both of us, the core of our understanding of God.

Next week, I share my best understanding of the story.

Enjoy!

The Great Controversy Story 2

Saturday, January 9, 2016

The Great Controversy Story 1 (Campmeeting 2014)

I must begin by apologizing for the late posting.  I had the podcast ready to go on Thursday and simply forgot to post it yesterday.

Today we get to one of my favourite stories: The Great Controversy.  This isn't simply a book, this is a narrative of God's ongoing involvement with humanity and the universe, the rise of evil and the vindication of God's character (which is to say the investigation by created beings of whether or not God is worthy of our love and devotion).  The Adventist answer is that God is worthy, but this is not without some serious investigation yet to come.  Questions remain.

After all that, we don't begin with the story.  We begin with our own stories.  In this episode, interspersed with relevant discussion, we briefly share our personals stories of learning about God and why we appreciate the Great Controversy understanding.  Next week we get more into specifics of the story itself, but this week lays the groundwork for that discussion.

Enjoy!

The Great Controversy Story 1